Vaccine focus shifts from healthcare workers to those with underlying illness

The HSE is to stop accepting new applications for Covid-19 vaccinations from frontline healthcare workers from tomorrow in a move which will free up Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs for people at very high risk due to underlying illness.

Since vaccination of frontline staff began in December, more than 204,000 workers have received a first dose – 50,000 more than expected.

The additional 50,000 followed an underestimate of the number of private healthcare staff, ‘Section 39’ workers in certain State-funded healthcare bodies and people on the frontline in agencies, as well as physiotherapists, pharmacists and podiatrists.

The HSE believes this group – which was second in the vaccination priority list – is now covered.

In a letter to all hospital groups, HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said as of midday tomorrow the registration portal, where frontline workers apply for the vaccine, will be closed to them.

He said, as of March 21, “204,000 frontline healthcare workers had received their first-dose vaccination”. The HSE is now in a position to “close out dose one vaccinations for this group”, Dr Henry said.

Anyone registered before midday tomorrow will receive a first dose, while staff on leave or new employees will get a vaccine through special arrangement. Any healthcare worker who received a first dose will get their second.

The group on the vaccination priority list after healthcare workers are the over-70s, and their vaccination started in February with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

The decision to close off the frontline staff group is likely to mean more Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines will now be available for people at very high risk due to pre-existing illness. There are around 160,000 people in this group. They are followed by people aged 65-69 deemed at high risk due to illness.

The urgency to roll out the vaccine to at-risk groups comes as 683 new cases of the virus were reported yesterday along with 18 deaths, amid concerns the spread will increase further.

Five walk-in clinics offering free Covid-19 tests will open today. The Dublin sites are in the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown, Tallaght Stadium, Irishtown Stadium and Grangegorman primary care centre. A temporary test centre is also opening in Tullamore Leisure Centre in Offaly.

A GP referral is not needed and the aim is to pick up cases in people who live within 5km of the centres and who do not have symptoms.

The areas have been chosen because they have higher incidence of the virus. The Dublin regions of Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart have the highest concentration of cases in the city.

Around one in five people infected has no symptoms.

The new cases yesterday included 308 in Dublin, 68 in Donegal, 49 in Kildare, 35 in Meath, and 30 in Offaly, with the remaining 193 cases spread across 21 other counties.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital continues to fall, and is now down to 329, with 76 in intensive care. There were 18 more admissions in the previous 24 hours.

New figures on outbreaks last week showed an increase in family homes, private houses, schools and creches.

There were 24 school-related outbreaks, up 16 in a week, with 258 family outbreaks, up 55.

Online Editors