Vaccination of over 85s in Mitchelstown commences

Mitchelstown residents who are patients at the local Livinghealth Clinic are set to get their vaccines this Thursday and Friday.

Julie Beamish of the health provider, said that the centre has contacted 224 octogenarians over the age of 85-years who are entitled to get the vaccine. The centre will start the roll out on Thursday 18th and it is expected to be completed by Friday.

The roll out per phase will be done over a two week window with the next cohort of recipients being in the 80 to 84-years age group. The date of vaccination clinics by GPs and pharmacists will be dependent on when batches of the actual vaccine are delivered by the HSE.

“We are delighted here and people who have received the call are delighted also. There are people who have declined it, that is their democratic right.

“There are some people who said they need to get it at their homes and we have referred them on to the HSE,” she said.

Julie said that there will be a substantial increase in numbers for vaccination as each cohort appears, with the age profile incrementally decreasing.

She said that they have received no complaints from people regarding access to transport going to their location for the vital dosage.

The clinic have issued a call for people to contact them if they haven’t received a phone call yet - as yet, two people have not responded to their calls.

RURAL ROLLOUT

There had been concerns by councillors and the chief executive of Rural Link this week around people’s capability of travelling long distances to the place where they would receive the vaccine.

Seamus Boland of Rural Link said said there are fears that some people will be disadvantaged, particularly elderly people, without a car, who live in remote areas. Mr Boland said a different strategy for those living in the less densely populated areas is needed and that the Army could play a role in delivering the vaccine.

Nationally, the first over-85s received their vaccines in their local doctors’ surgeries on Monday, as the vaccination rollout moved into the community for the first time.

However, the use of GP surgeries prompted some criticism from doctors who claimed it would slow down the rate of vaccination. Suggestions for alternative sites included local halls and churches.

The decision about the location for vaccination clinics was taken by a group comprising representatives of the HSE, Irish Medical Organisation and Irish College of GPs.

It reasoned that GP surgeries were the safest place to start this phase of vaccine rollout due to the frailty of the patients involved and the fact that staff are not familiar yet with dealing with the two vaccines involved.

GPs have about five days to use up their supplies of vaccine, he pointed out, leaving them the flexibility to timetable sessions in quieter periods of their working week.