Encouraging levels of registration for vaccines by 56 59 age group – Reid

almost 3 years in The Irish Times

The director general of the Health Service Executive (HSE), Paul Reid, has said he was “highly encouraged” by the level of registration among those aged 56 to 59 for vaccination against Covid-19, and that he has not felt “a stronger moment of hope and optimism” than he does now.
Mr Reid told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that 34,000 people registered for vaccination on Thursday while 452,000 had registered already through the online portal. People in the 60 to 69 age cohort were also still registering and he encouraged anyone who has not yet done so to come forward.
The revised vaccination plan has been concluded and the HSE is awaiting a response from the Government, he said. The three key principles of the plan were to continue the rollout on the basis of age, use all the vaccines available at any time with no holding any for later and maximise use of available vaccines.
There was strong momentum for the rollout, he added, with 220,000 to 240,000 people expected to be vaccinated this week and a further 250,000 to 270,000 next week. On Thursday of this week, 46,000 people were vaccinated, the highest level in one day to date.
Mr Reid acknowledged that there would be a shortage of 40,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to be delivered next week, but he was hopeful this could be made up in time.
“I’ve certainly never felt a stronger moment of hope and optimism than we do feel now,” he said. “We all really want to see this home now. We still have a lot of the [vaccine] programme to get through.”
The HSE had been working seven days a week since January of 2020 and he had never felt better optimism, which was directly related to the vaccine rollout, Mr Reid said. However, he added, there should be caution as still only one in three people had received their first vaccine and one in eight had their second dose. “We still have a lot to get through, we don’t want to slip back.”
When asked about antigen test kits going on sale in Lidl, Mr Reid said that antigen testing had a role to play, especially in certain sectors, but that PCR testing remained the gold standard as there were issues with the accuracy of antigen testing for those who were asymptomatic or not experienced with testing. Lidl began selling the tests in store on Friday, with one pack of five testing kits costing €24.99. There is a limit of five packs per customer.
Mr Reid said he expected frontline staff to take the vaccine, adding that they were taking a risk if they did not. He said decisions would have to be taken on a local basis, but it was not appropriate for someone who had not been vaccinated to be dealing with people face-to-face.
On the issue of the measurement of Covid-related deaths in Ireland which is alleged to have been under-reported by an international study, Mr Reid said that he believed Ireland had taken the right approach, but he was certain that correlation studies would be completed shortly. An analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in the United States showed that Covid-19 has caused more than 7,000 deaths in Ireland – some 2,000 more than the officially quoted figure.
‘Turning point’
The Department of Health on Thursday night reported eight further Covid-19 deaths – five of them from earlier months – along with 393 infections, as case numbers continue to remain stable despite the lifting of some restrictions.
With a further easing due from Monday, including a resumption of click-and-collect retail and a reopening of libraries, museums and hairdressers, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said everyone wanted this to be a significant turning point in the pandemic.
Dr Holohan said that with more than 30 per cent of adults having received one dose of vaccine, “it is time to feel hopeful and to start planning our summer”.
“The choices we make now are vital to minimise the incidence of Covid-19 throughout May and June. Prioritise being outside and avoid crowds. Know the symptoms – self-isolate immediately and phone your GP if you have them,” he said. “By protecting yourself, you are protecting everyone you know from infection.”
The 14-day incidence of the disease in the Republic now stands at 130 cases per 100,000 people nationally. Donegal has the highest county incidence, followed by Kildare. Kerry has the lowest incidence.
As of Thursday night, 123 patients with Covid-19 were in hospital, down from 131 on Thursday morning. Thirty-six of those patients were in intensive care, according to HSE figures.

Mentioned in this news
Share it on