COVID-19: North-South vaccine sharing conversation needs to be had, Stormont leaders agree

The First and Deputy First Ministers have both suggested they are willing to share vaccines with the Republic.

Michelle O’Neill has long advocated an all-island approach to the pandemic, but speaking at a Stormont Executive press conference, Arlene Foster has also indicated a willingness to investigate the matter.

While Northern Ireland has benefited from being part of a UK-wide vaccination procurement plan and is accelerating through the scheme, the Republic has been caught up with supply issues related to orders negotiated by the European Commission.

Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated a willingness to help Ireland with vaccines, but only after the rollout of jabs was complete within the UK.

At a post-Executive press conference in Dungannon, Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were asked about the prospect of sharing vaccines if there continued to be a disparity in vaccination rates on both sides of the border.

The DUP leader said: “I think that the Prime Minister has said that once the UK citizens are vaccinated that he is content to have that conversation.

“I think we need to have that conversation because if we're vaccinated in Northern Ireland and there's still a cohort of people in the Republic of Ireland not vaccinated and people are moving about and coming up to Northern Ireland then that has an impact on us here in Northern Ireland because of the effectiveness of the vaccine working.

“So we need to have that conversation and I asked our chief medical officer (Dr Michael McBride) today about the efficacy of the vaccine if people were to come into contact with others who hadn't been recipients of the vaccine and he said that was something that would be concerning, so we'll continue to have those conversations, I think it's very important that we do.''

Ms O'Neill said: “We need to maximise the opportunities that we have as an island in terms of the pandemic.

“I think we could have made a lot more of that throughout the pandemic.

“I think nobody should be greedy whenever it comes to vaccines, we're facing a global pandemic, all people across the world are faced with the impact of the pandemic so, yes, we should be sharing and, yes, we should be working together.

“That's the only way in which we're going to find our way out of this current phase that we're all in.''

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