The HSE’s Dr Colm Henry says he has “no regrets” that some non-frontline healthcare staff received COVID vaccines earlier than the general public.
He said three Irish hospitals nearly had to close entirely earlier this year due to COVID-related staff shortages.
The booster campaign is now underway for all over-50s, healthcare workers and anybody with underlying conditions.
It’s set to be extended to all adults over the coming weeks and months.
However, some of those likely receiving boosters now are the non-frontline healthcare staff who received vaccines early in the initial rollout when there were ‘spare’ doses left that needed to be used quickly.
Dr Henry - the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer - told The Pat Kenny Show that approach needed to happen amid a major crisis.
He said three hospitals came “within a whisker” of closing completely due to COVID outbreaks and staff absences back in January and February.
He said: “There was no point in discriminating in the eye of the storm between those who were absolute frontline staff and those who might have worked in the canteen or records department.
“Our instructions at the time - and I have no regrets about this - was to vaccinate as many healthcare workers as they could in each facility.”
He said it was not about whether people ‘deserved’ the vaccine, but more about protecting the services themselves.
He added: “Yes, there were some people who could not be labelled, strictly speaking, as frontline healthcare workers - but [it was about] the risks they brought into those settings when they had no choice but to attend at work.
“Not all healthcare workers can work from home - a substantial proportion of them have to attend their site.”
