Pass issues for those medically unable to take vaccine ‘under consideration’

The Department of Health says it is "considering the issues" for people who cannot receive a Covid-19 vaccine for medical reasons.

Public health advice remains that those who are not fully vaccinated should avoid congregated indoor settings for their own and others’ safety, a spokeswoman said.

The department and the Health Service Executive both say they do not know how many people are unable to receive a Covid-19 vaccine because of medical issues.

In recent months, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has been considering what action, if any, to take with regard to advising people who are unable to access a Covid-19 pass because they are not vaccinated for medical reasons.

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This means they are unable to enter hospitality venues, cinemas, gyms and other locations for which the pass is required.

Possible ‘solution’

In Northern Ireland, anyone who cannot receive a Covid-19 vaccination on medical grounds can apply for an exemption certificate.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said in October that the Government was working on a "solution", possibly based on testing, for this group.

He acknowledged there was “a small group of people who can’t get the vaccine for a particular reason”, such as people who may have had an adverse reaction to their first dose of the vaccine or who have been advised not to get their second dose.

In the UK, grounds for medical exemption include end-of-life care, learning disabilities and autism, severe allergies and those who had a reaction to a first dose of vaccine.

In recent months, a number of people who say they are not vaccinated for medical reasons have contacted The Irish Times over their inability to access venues.

A member of the National Covid-19 GP Liaison Committee, Dr Ray Walley, has called on the public not to contact GP surgeries in an effort to speed up access to PCR testing in an interview on RTÉ radio’s News at One. Dr Walley said that most people who had the Omicron variant were experiencing mild symptoms. The focus should not be on testing but on the need to isolate.