Sir, – As GPs we are proud of the role we have played in the highly successful Covid-19 vaccine rollout with over 80 per cent of adults now fully vaccinated. GP teams have administered 2.6 million vaccine doses to date and may be asked to play a key role in the delivery of any booster programme.
We are concerned that widespread introduction of booster vaccines will fly in the face of the World Health Organisation recommendations to defer a booster programme (other than for vulnerable individuals) for a period of two months.
The objective of the WHO is to prevent diversion of the limited supply of vaccines away from lower income countries who have vaccination rates of under 3 per cent, to wealthy countries who have far higher levels of vaccine coverage.
While the immediate problem is one of unequal vaccine distribution, the core problem is that insufficient vaccines are being produced to meet global need. Many reputable pharmaceutical companies around the world (for example, Biolyse in Canada, Incepta in Bangladesh, Teva in Israel and Bavarian Nordic in Denmark) have offered to contribute to vaccine production but these offers have been rejected by the originator companies. In an effort to facilitate generic vaccine production, the Indian and South African governments proposed the suspension of intellectual property rights of Covid-19 related healthcare technologies at the World Trade Organisation – the so called Trips (Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver. This proposal is being supported by the US and the WHO but opposed by the European Commission.
Vaccine equity is not only an issue of natural justice, it is also an issue of global and Irish public health. Ongoing Covid-19 transmission in any part of the world will perpetuate the pandemic and will risk virus mutation with adverse health and economic consequences.
We call upon the Government to heed the calls of the WHO to immediately defer the introduction of population booster vaccines (other than vulnerable groups) for a period of two months and to use its influence within the EU to support the TRIPS waiver.
– Yours, etc,
Dr KIERAN HARKIN,
Dublin 8.
Prof SUSAN SMITH,
Prof Primary
Care Medicine, RCSI,
Dr PETER HARRINGTON,
Wexford,
Dr MIREILLE SWEENEY,
Co Donegal,
Dr Enda Barron, Dublin; Dr Mark Boyce, Co Donegal; Dr Victoria Bradley, Co Donegal; Dr Ronan Cassidy, Co Donegal; Dr Margaret Connolly, Co Sligo; Dr Michael Cooke, Co Donegal; Dr Des Crowley, Dublin; Dr Patricia Davies, Dublin; Dr Muireann De Paor, Dublin; Dr Maria Doherty, Co Donegal; Dr Sarah Doherty, Co Donegal; Dr Mary Doherty, Co Donegal; Dr Deirdre Dowdall, Dublin; Dr Philip Dowling, Dublin; Dr Eoin Dunphy, Co Donegal; Dr Catherine Falls, Co Donegal; Dr Sarah Fitzgibbons, Dublin; Dr Daniel Gill, Co Donegal; Dr Mary Greelish, Co Donegal; Dr Catriona Kerr, Dublin; Dr Jodie Kora, Dublin; Dr Brendan Lawless, Dublin; Dr Tadg Lehane, Dublin; Dr Eimear Mallon, Dublin; Dr Caroline McCarthy, Dublin; Dr Cliona McCullagh, Co Donegal; Dr Irene McDonnell, Dublin; Dr Ann-Marie McElroy, Co Donegal; Dr Edel McGinnitty, Dublin; Dr Heather Mcintyre, Co Donegal; Dr Siobhan Mcintyre, Co Sligo; Dr Tricia McHale, Co Sligo; Dr Julie McHugh, Dublin; Dr Charlie McManus, Co Donegal; Dr Fergal McNamara, Dublin; Dr Eoin Monahan, Cork; Dr Catherine Mullan, Dublin; Dr Sally Mullan, Co Donegal; Dr Mark Murphy, Dublin; Dr Philip Murphy, Co Donegal; Dr Kathy Murray, Co Donegal; Dr Siofra Ní An Bhreithuin, Co Donegal; Dr Trish Noonan, Co Leitrim; Dr Emer O Brien, Dublin; Dr Austin O Carroll, Dublin; Dr Máirtín Ó Maoláin, Dublin; Dr Alan O Reilly, Dublin; Dr Raghavan Pariatian, Co Donegal; Dr Joanna Perlinska, Co Sligo Dr Fiona Quinn Co Donegal Dr Mary Quinn, Co Donegal Dr Billie Roe, Co Sligo; Dr Brid Shanahan, Dublin; Dr Angie Skuce, Dublin; Dr Rory Stewart, Co Donegal; Dr Ellen Stuart, Dublin; Dr Evelyn Ward, Co Donegal; Dr Paul Van Dessel, Co Donegal; Dr Elena Velicu, Dublin; Dr Kathleen Walsh, Dublin; Dr Cliona Wilson, Dublin.