Waterford Council votes in favour of free shingles vaccines for over 65s
The Shingrix vaccine is available free to over-65s in the USA, Australia and New Zealand and the UK and Northern Ireland, as well as in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Spain.
A motion in favour of free shingles vaccines for people over the age of 65 was passed, with all in favour, at the most recent Plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.
Cllr Sandra Conway’s motion asks that the Government "stand by" people aged over 65 and include the shingles vaccine, free of charge, in the national immunisation programme, based on a similar model in a number of countries, including the USA, Australia and New Zealand, the UK and Northern Ireland and plenty of other European countries.
Although the vaccine is licensed in Ireland, pensioners must bear the full cost of €500 for the two doses; a price many councillors object to.
Cllr Lola O’Sullivan seconded the motion, saying, “This is a really positive motion. This could make a big difference.”
Cllr John Pratt also added his support to the motion but said he thinks people living with disabilities should be included too: “It affects people so much differently when they have a disability, so I would ask that if there’s a way to add it, we do.”
Cllr Joe Kelly said he “thinks it's a very, very timely” issue to raise and that “it’s only right that Ireland should fall in line with the rest of them” while making a “good use of our HSE spending”.
Cllr Mary Roche added that “having to fork out €500 to be vaccinated is entirely unacceptable”.
To date, about 40,000 of over-65s in Ireland have availed of the Shingrix vaccine, leaving over 800,000 outside the protection of vaccination.
Active Retirement Ireland say this low take-up is overwhelmingly down to the cost.
The manufacturer of Shingrix, GlaxoSmithKline, is on record as saying that it is prepared to enter an agreement with the HSE that will give the vaccine at a rate comparable with the reduced price obtained in Northern Ireland and the UK.
If passed, Cllr Conway asked that the council also seek further support by circulating the motion to the other local authorities for inclusion on their agendas in the autumn.
