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09th Mar 2021

“Vaccine bonus” for recipients of Covid-19 jab set to be introduced in Ireland

Stephen Porzio

AstraZeneca vaccine

NPHET has confirmed that it is working on separate guidelines for people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine.

A “vaccine bonus” that would see people who have received their Covid-19 jab subject to more moderate restrictions than people who haven’t is being considered by NPHET, according to Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn.

Asked during Monday’s Covid-19 briefing if NPHET was working on separate guidelines for people that have been vaccinated, Dr Glynn confirmed the move.

“We are looking at that and we will be considering it further in the context of the advice we give to Government going into what will hopefully be the next easing of measures,” Glynn said.

“I’m hopeful that over the coming weeks we’ll start to be able to tell people what the bonus from vaccination is and what vaccination means you can or can’t do.

“So hopefully, there’ll be a vaccine bonus for people over the next while.”

However, Glynn also said this type of plan would need to have a “balance”.

He explained: “Not everyone in society will be vaccinated, vaccines aren’t 100% protective, we don’t yet know everything that we need to know about whether or not vaccines can stop transmission.

“We’re still learning about this and as we learn over the coming weeks, hopefully we’ll be able to give more and more certainty about what people can and can’t do.”

“We’re not alone in looking at this,” Glynn added.

“A number of countries obviously are looking at this and trying to bring back – I won’t say normality because it won’t be normality – but something that’s a little bit easier versus the really tough time that people have gone through over the past year.”

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