Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health what prioritisation is being given to COVID-19 vaccination of childcare workers delivering care to children of key workers.
Minister of Health: Vaccination policy in Northern Ireland is based on the recommendations and advice provided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advises the 4 UK Health Ministers.
Other than health and social care workers identified at priority group 2, JCVI has not recommended prioritisation linked to occupation. Therefore, childcare workers will be vaccinated in line with the general population group they belong to. The rate limiting factor for deployment of the vaccine is the availability of vaccines. The purpose of this approach is to save as many lives as possible with the available vaccine.
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