Wexford Carer of the Year calls for vaccine booster priority for carers

A Wexford carer is calling on the government to prioritize booster vaccines for carers.

Elaine Smith from Bridgetown was named Wexford Netwatch Family Carer of the Year for 2021. She cares for her 3 year old daughter Lucy who was born with severe brain damage and cerebral palsy. The pandemic has been a challenging time for all of society but especially for family carers and those they care for who saw essential services and supports severely impacted. Speaking to South East Radio, Elaine says they were passed over for the original vaccines but should be some of the first in line for the boosters. "We should have been prioritized with the vaccines and had to wait for our age group to come up which is an absolute joke. "Like, I'm looking after a vulnerable child and she can't vaccinated so the least they could have done was get me vaccinated to protect her. "We should be prioritized for the boosters with healthcare workers because we are healthcare workers. We're just not recognised because we're working at home." Back to news Follow South East Radio on: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Linkedin