Preparation of mass vaccination centres well under way
The location of 37 public vaccination sites across the country were announced this week by Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, with at least one site confirmed for every county.
On Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin viewed ongoing works to transform part of Cork City Hall into a HSE Covid-19 vaccination centre for the public. 30 vaccination booths and a post-vaccination observation area were in the process of being installed. When fully operational, City Hall will have the capability to operate seven days a week, delivering up to 2,400 vaccinations daily.
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, City Hall Cork, The Melbourn Building on MTU Campus in Bishopstown, Bantry PCC and Mallow GAA Club were announced as the five Cork sites.
The HSE will establish a num
ber of vaccination centres for the general public across Cork in the coming weeks and months, including the centre at City Hall. It’s important to note that these centres will not become operational until the availability of vaccines increases.
As the operation of largescale vaccination clinics for the general public is a considerable undertaking, work has started to make sure that the centres will be ready as soon as vaccine supply is available. In Cork and Kerry, the vaccination centres will be established as a joint project between the South/South West Hospital Group and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare.
MOOREPARK
Last week, The Avondhu reported that Teagasc in Moorepark was highlighted as a having the facilities to potentially store the vaccine as well as being a possible site for mass vaccination.
Labour TD Sean Sherlock has since asked the Minister for
Health if consideration will be given to the site as a location for community-based vaccine rollout. The North Cork TD has said that he will maintain pressure for a vaccination centre to be considered in Moorepark after the Government released the vaccination centre list.
“Moorepark is uniquely positioned to provide storage and vaccination facilities in the fight against Covid.
"With storage capacities of -80 degrees centigrade, it is the obvious choice for the wider North Cork area. I have written to the HSE and the Minister for Health and I still await their reply. It is my hope that more centres than the 37 announced nationally will be created. We need as many vaccination centres as supply allows,” said Deputy Sherlock.
Abbeycourt Hotel in Nenagh and The Clonmel Park Hotel were announced as the two Tipperary locations.
Limerick and Waterford have one site each, with the Radisson Hotel on the Ennis Road being announced for Limerick and the WIT Arena on the sports campus announced for Waterford.
CALLS FOR WEST WATERFORD BASED CENTRE
West Waterford councillors have spoken out about Waterford only being allocated one public access mass vaccination centre, with local Cllr John Pratt calling for a centre in the west of the county.
“I'm disgusted that there's no vaccination centre in the west of the county. Most other counties have two or more vaccination centres. In the minister's own county of Wicklow, there are two. In Waterford, the city is not in the centre of the county and at the moment people can't go outside their 5 kilometres, I don't know how it will be then, but surely we should have a centre in west Waterford.
"I have written to Kate Kileen White, the Chief Officer of South East Community Healthcare on this matter on behalf of myself and Cllr Thomas Phelan, requesting a vaccination centre for the west of the county,” Cllr Pratt
said.
Sinn Féin Cllr Conor McGuinness also spoke out about the lack of a vaccination centre for West Waterford.
“From both a geographic and a population point of view it is bizarre that West Waterford has been left out. Westmeath, Kerry and Wicklow have each been allocated two centres.
“I have already contacted HSE management on this matter and will continue to push hard for a vaccination centre to be located in West Waterford,” he said
OPERATION DEPENDANT ON SUPPLY
A HSE spokesperson said that the provision of these vaccination centres is a ‘considerable undertaking’, and thanked all of the staff who are ‘working so hard to make these vital centres a reality in a short space of time.’
She noted that while current vaccine supplies are directed to nursing homes, to healthcare staff and shortly to the over-70s by GPs, the work of HSE staff means that these vaccination centres will be available to vaccinate large numbers of people as soon as vaccine supplies allow.
“The centres in Cork and Kerry will be spread across the region with the aim of ensuring ease of access for as much of the public as possible, while also bearing in mind that each vaccination centre will need to meet many clinical and logistical requirements.
“These centres, once operational, will be on an appointment basis. Again, we must stress that they will not be operational until vaccine supply allows for widespread vaccination of the wider population. Our priority is to ensure that the vaccination roll-out continues to be safe and efficient,” the spokesperson said.
In addition to this, the spokesperson added that the HSE does not expect that vaccinations will be administered in these centres in the short-term as the current priority groups due to receive the vaccinations are residents and staff in long-term care facilities, alongside front-line healthcare workers.
“There are several other priority groups to be vaccinated before we reach the stage of vaccinating the public at large,” the spokesperson added.