Susan O’Keeffe: Vaccination programme needs to be treated as a national emergency

Poor planning has beset Ireland’s fight against Covid-19 from the start, and we are still lacking

‘If 100 vaccinators, at 35 jabs per day, were deployed consecutively for just seven days, every one of the residents in Irish nursing homes would be vaccinated. That’s an emergency.’ Picture: Getty

There is a very thin blue line of medical staff strung out across Ireland who are responsible for keeping people alive. They are under pressure every hour, working every minute, knowing that they are the only ones who can make a difference – who can save lives.

Outside their doors, it’s a different story. There is a swirl of indecision, mixed with delayed action and incoherent planning, all of which combines only to make the ...