Health forum hears calls to end rollout of Covid-19 vaccine

A member of the Regional Health Forum West and North West has queried if the HSE needs to continue rolling out Covid-19 vaccines.

Speaking at last week's meeting of the forum, Galway-based Cllr Shane Forde said recent figures from GPs in Galway City showed that the numbers getting the vaccine had dropped from 889 between January and May 2025 to 669 for the same period this year.

“Is there a need to continue with the Covid vaccine in the long-term because a lot of people are very sceptical about taking it?" Cllr Forde said. "It is a long numbers of years since the pandemic and they don’t want to be taking the Covid jab. He said the HSE should be “doing more to promote the flu jab given the fact it is putting more people in hospital in the winter months”, suggesting that local groups such as Men’s and Women’s Sheds might help the campaign.

"I think we should be promoting the flu jab instead because Covid is a toxic word and people say Covid is not the right word to be used now as well. So is it ongoing in the vaccination programme or could it be phased out?” 

HSE Regional Executive Officer Tony Canavan replied: “That is a very big question. The vaccines included in the vaccination programme, including the Covid-19 vaccine, is informed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and our own Department of Health, so our regional Director of Public Health answers that. It is difficult to answer this question because things change and we all know how quickly that happened in 2020 and we had to respond to that; and then every year there is a flu season. So the best advice is for people to remain actively engaged in publicity campaigns run by the HSE which direct where people can avail of vaccines and which are the most suitable and appropriate at the various times, because things change all the time so the best thing to say is keep in touch with the best clinical advice available to us.” 

According to Dr Áine McNamara Regional Director of Public Health West and North West, the HSE recommends that people should get the free Covid-19 vaccine if they are aged 80 years and older, live in a long-term care facility or have a weak immune system. Persons in those groups should get a vaccine twice a year with at least six months between each vaccine.

Sligo-based Cllr Marie Casserly had earlier said that while she accepted the Shingles vaccine was not being offered due to cost, “it is really important for the overall health of the population".

"The cost of the vaccine must outweigh what it costs the taxpayer, because when an older person gets Shingles it is very serious.” 

Mr Canavan said a HIQA assessment had found that it was not cost-effective to include the vaccine in the programme but "we have asked the Department of Health to re-engage with the manufacturers of the vaccine and if it comes back at a lower price, it may well make it cost-effective”. 

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.