FIRST VACCINES ARRIVE IN TOWN
Arrival offers hope amid darkness
THE arrival of vaccination teams at local nursing homes provides a glimmer of hope as it emerged that Ireland now has the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in the world in the past seven days.
Residents in St Oliver’s received the vaccine on Monday and residents in Dealgan House Nursing Home will get the Pfizer vaccine tomorrow ( Wednesday).
One in 45 people in Louth tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, with a total of 2,837 cases in the two weeks up to Sunday night.
There are growing fears that our hospital system will be overwhelmed and that the scenes of ambulances queueing outside hospitals in Newry and Letterkenny will be repeated here in the coming days. As of Sunday evening, 97 patients with COVID-19, including 22 new cases, were being treated in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
AS the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination in Louth nursing homes got under way last week, 85-year-old John Monaghan, from Hunterstown Ardee, was the first person in a Louth nursing home receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
‘I feel very privileged to be the first person in St Joseph’s Hospital to receive the vaccine,’ said John. ‘Like everyone else I have been waiting for the vaccine. It’s a great relief that the vaccine is eventually here and it provides hope for us all, especially the vulnerable, that we will be safe from Covid-19 and that our lives will return to normal.’
John was given an HSE vaccine information leaflet, along with more detailed manufacturer’s patient information leaflet, before getting the vaccine. Afterwards, each person vaccinated was given a vaccine record card, showing the name and batch of the vaccine they have received. They will each return for their second dose, to be fully protected, in three weeks.
Sarah McBride, Chief Officer of Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare Organisation said: ‘ This is a day of hope for a better future. It is a good day for the residents and staff of St Joseph’s Hospital and we are delighted that we can start rolling out the vaccine for our community. I would particularly like to thank all of the healthcare workers in Midlands Louth Meath who worked tirelessly to make this day possible. I would also like to
thank healthcare staff who have worked so hard at the frontline over the past year to protect our community from Covid-19 and support those who were affected by the virus. While today does offer us hope for a better future, it is important that we continue to adhere with all of necessary guidelines to keep safe while the vaccine is being rolled out over the coming weeks and months. It is important to remember that by wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distancing and practising good hand hygiene, you’re supporting frontline workers to maintain essential health services for the people of Midlands Louth Meath.’
Residents and staff in St Oliver Plunkett Hospital, Dundalk, which had been affected by a COVID-19 outbreak before Christmas, received their vaccines yesterday (Monday) while the vaccination team will move onto Dealgan House Nursing Home, tomorrow ( Wednesday).
The vaccination programme for nursing home staff and residents has been speeded up and is due to be completed a week earlier than scheduled.. It comes amid concerns about the presence of the more contagious South African variant of the virus in Ireland.
Only COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorised by the European Medicines Agency, having met stringent safety and effectiveness standards, will be used in Ireland. All COVID-19 vaccines will be carefully monitored over time and updated safety data and information will be published and shared by the HSE, on their website and in their printed information material.