1. Vaccinations
Further to information issued on Sunday, AstraZeneca vaccinations were temporarily paused while concerns about blood clotting side effects were investigated.
The European Medicines Agency has since advised that the vaccine is safe for use, as have the Irish authorities. The HSE has confirmed that these vaccinations will now recommence.
In our discussions with the HSE on this matter, we pushed for them to provide as much information as possible to healthcare workers, to ensure that you are fully informed as professionals about the vaccine.
Vaccination is clearly having an exceptionally positive impact. There were times in this pandemic when over 30% of COVID cases in Ireland were among healthcare workers – with nurses and midwives the hardest hit.
The latest figures suggest that they now make up only 3%. This shows that the risk is still present, but that the prioritisation of healthcare worker vaccination which the INMO sought is necessary and correct.
2. Claim for compensatory leave
The INMO has long said that the exceptional work done by frontline healthcare staff deserves special recognition and compensation. It’s not just the risks that have come with the pandemic, but the long hours missed breaks and high workload that demands a response.
We met with the Department of Health and HSE on this issue today. They accept that the claim needs to be recognised but need to do further work on the issue. To better advance this claim, we are formally referring this call for compensatory leave to the Workplace Relations Commission. I will keep you updated on this matter as it progresses.