Pfizer Friday: Vaccine rollout to the over-85s begins this weekend
HSE is providing the Pfizer vaccine to 84 GP practices around the country this week - 400 people in Navan will get the jab this Friday and Saturday
Hundreds of elderly people across Meath will receive their first Covid-19 vaccine this week as the vaccination of the over 85s begins.
The HSE is providing the Pfizer vaccine to 84 GP practices around the country this week, among them the Bedford and Abbey Road Medical Centres in Navan.
The Bedford Centre is preparing to vaccinate 246 people on Friday and Saturday.
“We will have clinics on both days,” explains practice manager, Ann Mulligan.
“We have already contacted the patients and will be rolling out the vaccine as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”
The practice has provided tents in their grounds as waiting areas for the elderly patients, who will have to wait for 15 minutes after their injections for observations before they can go home.
“Over the next 12 weeks, we will be vaccinating all our patients over 70 and everybody will have to get a second dose of the vaccine.
“We will have eight people carrying out the vaccinations on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.”
Dr Marie Scully of the Abbey Road Medical Centre said they are ready to start vaccinations on Friday.
“The HSE were able to tell us we needed approximately 155 vaccines and asked were we ready and able to accept that, so I replied 'yes we are'”.
“We now have our patients all booked in for Friday morning."
Dr Seamus McMenamin of the Bedford Centre said everything has to be planned very carefully as the vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures.
“After delivery we will have 120 hours to vaccinate people before we have to discard it, so as soon as it is delivered will be getting it into people’s arms and we have contacted all our patients who are over 85,” he said.
“Another difficulty is that once it is defrosted, the vaccine doesn't travel so for people who have no transport to get to us, the HSE will make arrangements to bring them to us.
“For those who are literally bed bound and cannot come into us, some arrangement will be made to have them vaccinated. Nobody will be left behind,” he said,
Dr McMenamin also explained that if somebody was staying with family during lockdown and their GP was in another part of the country, they can be vaccinated where they are staying.
He also said that in two weeks time, the vaccination of the over 80s will being and two weeks after that the over 75s.
“People will also have to get their second dose of the vaccine.”
“Once we get to the under 70s, vaccinations will begin in big vaccination centres and doctors, pharmacists, dentists and organisations like St John ambulance will be involved in delivering it.
“People will be able to go into an electronic portal and register for the vaccine,” he explained.
Dr McMenamin pointed out that all this depends on vaccine supply, but as the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is expected to become available in April and only needs one dose, this should speed things up.
Yesterday, the HSE confirmed there will be a vaccination centre in Simonstown GFC in Navan.
Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly said: “While currently vaccines are being administered in healthcare settings and by GPs, many people will be offered their vaccination in these centres, having self-registered online.
“It is important to note that the centres will be of different sizes and operating hours will be based on vaccine supply and catchment area need,” he said.