HSE expects free flu vaccines for eligible groups despite supply delays

Ireland’s Health Service Executive said on 8 October that it expects free flu vaccines to reach everyone in its recommended groups despite delayed, phased deliveries. The winter vaccination programme is under way, but people seeking private vaccinations and employers arranging workplace clinics face a supply gap, according to RTÉ’s report of the HSE’s update.

Dr Louise Marron, a consultant in public health medicine at the HSE’s National Immunisation Office, told RTÉ that people in an at-risk group could be reassured that a flu vaccine was available. That assurance concerns the public programme for recommended groups; the HSE has not published a detailed national delivery timetable or a count of delayed doses in the guidance reviewed.

Who can get a free flu vaccine in Ireland?

HSE guidance lists people aged 60 and older, children aged two to 17, healthcare workers, pregnant people and residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities among those eligible for a free flu vaccine. It also includes people aged six months or older with specified health conditions, certain carers and people who live with someone who has a qualifying condition. Eligibility depends on the HSE’s stated criteria, rather than a general promise of immediate appointments for everyone.

The HSE recommends both flu and COVID-19 vaccination for people aged 60 and older and those with underlying medical conditions. Its regional vaccination statement says eligible people can receive both vaccines at the same appointment. The flu vaccine for children aged two to 17 is a nasal spray, while adults receive an injection, according to HSE guidance.

Why are flu vaccine deliveries delayed?

The HSE attributed the delay to the need for manufacturers to match this season’s vaccine to three new flu strains observed during the Southern Hemisphere winter, RTÉ reported. The delay has affected supply in other European countries too. At the time of the 8 October report, there was no flu vaccine supply yet for people outside the recommended groups, private patients or companies seeking to vaccinate staff.

The private-market problem was visible before the latest HSE update. On 27 September, RTÉ reported that workplace vaccination clinics in Ireland were being cancelled as available doses were prioritised for the HSE programme. Donegal pharmacist Tom Murray told the broadcaster that supplies for vulnerable people through GPs and pharmacies had been confirmed, while the arrival date for private vaccines remained unclear.

Viatris, one of the companies contracted to supply Ireland’s winter programme, told RTÉ in September that its manufacturer had cited both the simultaneous update of all three recommended vaccine strains and delays to critical manufacturing materials. Viatris said it would not supply Ireland’s private market that year. Those statements explain part of the supply constraint, but they do not establish when other private supplies might become available.

What is known about flu this season?

Flu was circulating in Ireland at low levels when RTÉ reported the HSE update. Eight patients had been hospitalised with flu in the preceding week, the broadcaster said. The early figures give context for the launch of the winter campaign, but they do not indicate how severe the full season will be.

The previous winter shows why the HSE is prioritising access for people at higher risk. In its September regional statement, the health service cited almost 5,935 hospitalisations for laboratory-confirmed flu across Ireland, including 1,335 in the West and North West. It said most cases in that region were among people aged 65 and older. RTÉ separately reported 301 deaths among laboratory-confirmed cases nationally in the preceding season.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients’ Association called for greater flu vaccine uptake among healthcare staff. RTÉ reported that uptake among health staff exceeded 34% last season, against a national target of 75%. Healthcare workers are among the groups eligible for a free vaccine under HSE guidance.

What remains uncertain about supply?

The HSE says recommended groups will receive free vaccines, but its public guidance does not specify how many doses are delayed or when each area will receive them. Its expectation should not be read as confirmation that every dose has arrived or that appointments are immediately available everywhere. The available reports also do not establish a date for private supply to resume.