Covid vaccines given out in the Western Trust

THE Covid-19 vaccination scheme is well underway in the Western Trust as several vaccinators have received the jab.

The initial phase of the roll-out of the vaccination programme began on Tuesday and Dr Bob Brown, director of Primary Care and Older peoples services in the Western Trust, was one of the first vaccinators to receive the vaccine in the local area.

Seven Trust vaccination centres are being established for the staff vaccination process, including Omagh Leisure Complex and Lakeland Forum in Enniskillen.

Speaking after receiving the jab, Dr Brown said, “As the executive director of nursing and given my responsibility for older people’s services, I felt it was important that I received my vaccine early so that I can become a peer vaccinator.

“I want to support our team who are getting ready to deliver this vital vaccine to our fantastic health and social care staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the last ten months, and also for our care home residents and staff who have also been highly impacted by this virus.

“While our thoughts continue to remain with those families who have experienced the loss of a loved one from Covid-19, I would encourage all staff to avail of the vaccine as it becomes available to them, to protect themselves, their patients and their families,” added Dr Brown.

In the coming weeks, mobile vaccination teams operating from Trust centres will take the vaccine to healthcare staff and residents and staff in care homes across the North.

With each recipient requiring two jabs, the plan is to vaccinate 12,500 people before the end of the year and the full roll-out of the vaccine is scheduled to continue until the summer of 2021.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said, “The programme represents an unprecedented logistical exercise that will take many months to complete.”

Anyone who is pregnant or breast feeding, or who is planning to get pregnant in the next three months, is not advised to get the vaccine.

Further population groups will be added to the programme on a phased basis, with priority given to age and other clinical vulnerability factors. Subject to the availability of a suitable vaccine, it is intended from early January 2021 to expand the roll-out of the programme through primary care led vaccination clinics.