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“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, for months,” said Professor Mary Horgan when she became the first person in Cork to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
“The fact that we now have a vaccine is the hope that 2021 will come true.”
The Cork University Hospital Infectious Disease Consultant and President of the Royal College of Physicians is one of 500 frontline healthcare workers to receive the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine at CUH between now and Thursday this week, as part of the national deployment. .
She said this is an emotional day for healthcare workers who have fought resolutely against the disease since March.
“For those of us who are on the front lines of caring for people, it has been a really difficult time, and for patients who come into the hospital because they are really confined to rooms. Whenever they see a healthcare worker, be it me or a cleaner, we are always dressed up. You don’t have that human touch. ”
About 12 to 15 health workers will receive the vaccine today at CUH and another 250 are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Privileged to get # COVID-19 vaccine today@CUH_Cork.2021 brings us hope, but we open # COVID-19 Ward again today. One last big effort to keep our contacts low: keep our vulnerable safe@paulreiddublin@DonnellyStephen@RCPI_news@UCC pic.twitter.com/9A2gzbRnbc
– Mary Horgan (@profmaryhorgan) December 29, 2020
On Saint Stephen’s Day, 10,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in the country and more are expected to arrive next week.
“Once I heard that it had been developed and went through the regulatory process to make sure it was safe and effective, I was absolutely delighted,” said Professor Horgan.
“It makes a huge difference in all of our lives and livelihoods in the future.”
Although the administered vaccine is the first to be approved in Europe, Professor Horgan said that the Moderna vaccine, which has already been approved in the United States, will likely be approved in Europe soon. And the AstraZeneca vaccine can also be approved in 2021.
“That would result in us having more access to vaccines and being able to distribute them to nursing home residents, frontline workers, and then vulnerable groups at risk who end up in the hospital,” he said.
Nursing homes in Cork have already been given dates in early January for their first vaccinations, Professor Horgan said.
And although hospitalizations to CUH with Covid-19 have been on the rise, they have done so slowly so far and the wards are not yet at their maximum.
A drop in influenza cases, likely due to the adoption of vaccines, along with public health measures and hygiene etiquette introduced to combat Covid, has helped free up some additional capacity, he said.
Since the Covid-19 vaccine reduces the severity of the disease if someone becomes infected, it could keep vulnerable populations out of the hospital, he said.
“I think the next few weeks will count for a lot. We are prepared at CUH. Anyway, we anticipated a greater number of cases.
“But what the vaccine will do is protect those on the front lines, and by protecting us, you protect our patients and the communities we live in. And that will have knock-on effects in the months ahead when more and more people are get vaccinated. ”
About 70% of the population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, and Professor Horgan urged people to take advantage of the vaccine when they can.
“Everyone should remember that when you get vaccinated it is not just for your benefit, it is for everyone’s benefit. So the more people we can get vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to our new normal.
“We’re all in this together. The more people get it, the better it will be for all of us.”
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