[ad_1]
Ireland’s oldest man was among the constant parade of people attending GP surgeries today as the Covid-19 vaccination program continued throughout the national holiday.
Michael O’Connor, 107, of Muckross in Killarney, received his second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine from Dr. Ken Keohane at Deenagh Torc Medical Practice in Killarney.
In Cork, just over 120 people were hit at Elmwood’s medical practice in Frankfield, near Douglas, and nearly 100 of those 85 and older received their second dose of the vaccine.
Practice member Dr Nuala O’Connor, Covid-19 leader from the Irish College of General Practitioners, said that despite supply issues affecting the pace of the program, this is still “good news.”
“We went through about 96 people over the age of 85, who were getting their second dose, and just over 30 people in the 75-79 age group and we hope to have more clinics on Saturday,” he said.
“Decisions are being made throughout this week to redistribute available vaccines as fairly as possible.
“So by the end of May, we hope to have everyone over the age of 70 across the country fully vaccinated.
“Despite supply problems and the latest pause in the AstraZeneca vaccine, this is good news.”
With virtually all healthcare staff and nursing home residents fully vaccinated, and with significant progress in vaccinating everyone over the age of 70 who is confined at home or in hospital, the rate of Covid- 19 among healthcare workers and Covid hospitalization and ICU figures have ‘fallen off a cliff’, demonstrating the efficacy of vaccines.
As more progress is made in the coming weeks to vaccinate those over 70 with medical conditions, the health service will be able to function at a much higher level, he said.
But he urged vigilance be maintained, given the emergence of new strains, and cautioned against delaying a visit to the GP.
He said he has seen several patients in recent weeks with signs of early cancer, all of whom delayed a visit to the GP amid Covid fears.
“We have a lot of people now having non-Covid problems and we have found that a lot of people were reluctant to come when the Covid-19 numbers were high,” he said.
“But our daily routine is almost back to normal. Almost all were virtual consultations in January, but now they are almost all in person consultations. ”
Vaccinations also continued at HSE’s Waterford John’s Hill Primary Care Center, where GPs and members of the Keogh Practice team, located in the building, prepared doses for hundreds of patients over the age of 75.
Keogh Practice’s Dr. Deirdre Plant said there was a happy and positive atmosphere, with green hats and shamrock badges on display.
“It is encouraging to see so many smiles between the coming and going of safely managed patients and families,” he said.
Mary Power of Tramore was among those who received the vaccine.
“Normally I would have been looking forward to the parade in Tramore and lunch with the family,” he said.
“I wish all this alteration of life would end. To that end, I encourage everyone to take advantage of the vaccine when their turn comes.
“It only took a few seconds, I feel great after that and everything was processed more efficiently by my GP and his colleagues.”
Dr O’Connor also said stopping the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine here was a prudent decision, pending an expert review of possible links between it and a small number of blood clots in patients in Norway.
“If there are safety signs, then it’s okay to step back, look at the evidence, do an extensive but quick review, and then hopefully get clearance to start using it again,” he said.
“The most important thing is that people trust the vaccine and know that it is safe to use.”
[ad_2]