Time for pro vaccine sports stars to speak up – Carrigy

It is time for pro vaccine sports stars to speak up and lead by example on public health, the Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Sport has said.

Longford Senator Micheál Carrigy, who is also a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport said: “Sports stars have a huge influence across society and on young people in particular. Given that influence, I have serious concerns in relation to the number of high-profile footballers publicly refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine . It is clear that vaccine scepticism has spread among the football community in the UK and today we see it reported that it is affecting the Irish football team also.

“It is time for pro vaccine sports stars, of which there are many, to speak up in favour of making positive choices to protect your health and the health of your loved ones as we continue to battle Covid-19. It would be great to see a cohort of Irish sports stars from across various codes coming together to promote vaccine take up.

“Young people look up to high profile sports stars and there is no doubt their choices have influence. Thankfully we have had a high take up rate of the vaccine here in Ireland thus far, but we are currently vaccinating our young population and we want to ensure as many of them as possible will get the jab.

“Of course there is an element of personal choice in relation to one’s health, and people may have various reasons why they cannot take the vaccine. But we cannot be complacent as we continue to deal with the highly infectious Delta Variant. Now is the time for some high-profile stars speak out in favour of the public health benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine,” Senator Carrigy concluded.