'If we don't vaccinate high-risk patients against Covid, who will?': Cork GP calls for clarity as deadline for opt in vaccination scheme looms

GPs are under pressure to opt in to vaccinate at-risk patients, with 88,000 “very high risk” patients to be identified nationally by Friday, a Cork GP said. Pic; Larry Cummins
The GP explained there is little or no clarity as to how their patients would be vaccinated if they opt out of the vaccination programme.
“GPs only have to opt in if they want to but what happens to your cohort-4 patients if you don’t opt in? There has been no answer to that question of course,” said the Cork GP.
GPs across the country received an email from the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) on Tuesday, following discussions with the HSE, asking if they wished to opt in or out when it comes to vaccinating category 4 and category 7 patients in the coming months. They were given a deadline of April 2 by which to respond.
Category 4, which was recently added to the priority list, includes people aged 16 to 69 who are at “very high risk” of severe illness as a result of Covid-19.
Category 7, meanwhile, includes those aged 16 to 64 who are deemed at “high risk”.
In its correspondence to GPs, the IMO stated that “this is an opt-in programme for general practice”.