Mid Ulster still worst for Covid infection

A WALK-IN vaccine clinic will open in Dungannon this weekend, as Mid Ulster continues to be the hardest hit area in the North for Covid 19 infection.

The clinic – which will be held at The Junction in Dungannon on Sunday from 9am to 5pm – will provide first doses for 12-17 year olds and will complement the school vaccination programme which is now in its most intensive period.

Figures from the Department of Health on Wednesday showed that over the last week in Mid Ulster, there were 1,177 new cases, slightly down from the total of 1,269 for the previous week. Mid Ulster’s infection rate of 792 cases per 100,000 of population, is the highest in the North.

Across the North, the daily number of new cases reported on Wednesday, was 1,931 with four more deaths due to Covid 19, while 182 people were admitted to hospital over the last week.

The knock-on effect of added pressure in local health care centres was further evidenced again at the weekend. On Sunday night the Southern Trust reported extreme pressure at the Craigavon Area Hoispital A&E department and urged people to only attend the hospital if absolutely necessary.

In a social media appeal, a spokesperson for the Trust said, “Our staff are working tirelessly and we appealing to you and your families for your help in ensuring patients can be discharged as soon as they are medically fit as this will release hospital beds so that we can continue to accept new admissions.

“Please remember to pick the service most appropriate to your symptoms to ensure you get the right treatment in the right place.”

This week, the worrying level of infection across the North led Stormont ministers to present a united front in calling for people to work from home ‘where possible’.

On Tuesday, the Executive agreed to “strengthen the message” with concerns that some venues may be forced to close if hospital admissions continue to rise.

More people working from home will help to reduce the risk of transmission both inside and outside the workplace, said the Executive in a statement.

The ministers have also advised people to limit their social contacts and to ensure face coverings are worn in indoor settings.

The Executive statement added, “Hospital admissions are rising and modelling indicates that admissions will increase further in the coming weeks.

“Unvaccinated adults aged under 50 are almost 11 times more likely to need hospitalisation from Covid-19. Unvaccinated individuals aged 50 and over are four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than those who are fully vaccinated.”

It was also agreed that the Covid-19 Taskforce will examine how to increase compliance with mask wearing.

With the North’s transmission rates now the highest in the UK, Stormont’s Chief Medical Adviser Professor Ian Young highlighted the effectiveness of vaccines.

“Vaccines absolutely do reduce transmission of the Covid-19 virus and there is strong evidence to that effect. The risk of a vaccinated person transmitting the virus is much lower than someone who is unvaccinated,” said Prof Young.

“While figures may vary, one recent study showed that a vaccinated person is 63 per-cent less likely to pass the virus on.

“More importantly, most vaccinated people do not become infected in the first place therefore the full effect of vaccines on reducing transmission may be even higher than 63 per cent.”

Professor Young continued: “The myth that, overall, vaccinated people carry and spread the virus as much as those unvaccinated is simply not true and needs to be challenged. It is unfortunate that some will chose to believe groundless and baseless information on social media rather than reading the studies carried out by medical and scientific experts.”

Meanwhile, the previously agreed vaccine passports are set to be introduced from next week. The new regulations will take effect from November 29 but they will not be legally enforced until December 13, due to a 14-day grace period.