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Up to 15 mass-vaccination centers are being considered by the HSE to facilitate the roll-out of the coronavirus inoculation.<\/p>\nUp to 15 mass-vaccination centers are being considered by the HSE to facilitate the roll-out of the coronavirus inoculation.<\/p>\n
The Government\u2019s high-level taskforce on Covid-19 vaccination has been in discussions with a number of third level institutions about using their facilities for the rollout.<\/p>\n
Taskforce chairman Professor Brian MacCraith told the Oireachtas committee on health that the challenge of implementing the vaccine is \u201cunparalleled here and around the world\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Wednesday, Prof MacCraith said: \u201cAt least 15 such mass-vaccination centers are under consideration by the team in the HSE at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe exact details of how many staff will be required by vaccination center is still being worked through at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he had held discussions with Wicklow IT, NUI Galway, University of Limerick and the University College Cork about using their facilities for vaccinations.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cAll four of these institutions, in terms of areas like their major sports arenas and centers, were very positive in their initial response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese conversations and dialogue will happen over the coming weeks, in very good time, before there\u2019s a need to actually establish the mass-vaccination centers. But there\u2019s great positivity around these.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof MacCraith said it would be difficult to give timelines on how many people will be vaccinated at different stages of the coming year.<\/p>\n
However, it is anticipated that up to 5,000 doses of the Pfizer\/BioNTech vaccine will arrive in Ireland before the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Modelling carried out by the task force has indicated that this could mean that around 78,000 staff and residents in care facilities could be vaccinated by mid to late-February.<\/p>\n
Prof MacCraith said: \u201cIt\u2019s not possible to have absolute certainty on these matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me give you one example that we\u2019re working through in various models: If you take the residential care facilities which are in the top cohort there, so we do know that \u2013 and there\u2019s just under 600 such facilities, about 589 is the number \u2013 and close to 78,000 between residents and staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at those numbers and you look at the initial cohort of vaccinators, you can start to think that that cohort might complete their vaccinations by mid to late-February, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Prof MacCraith warned that this was not yet fact, and would depend on how quickly the vaccine arrives in Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dates and numbers aren\u2019t mentioned because it\u2019s just, at this stage, impossible, to give you certainty around these,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said discussions have taken place with social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook about ways to fight misinformation related to the vaccine.<\/p>\n
However, he said it was important not to give the impression that the majority of people are vaccine-hesitant.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we\u2019re concerned about the issue of misinformation and the extent to which that will influence people\u2019s intention to get vaccinated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that we don\u2019t give a perception that\u2019s the majority view.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that 70 to 80% of people in Ireland, either definitely or probably, will get this vaccine when they\u2019re offered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo perhaps rather than focusing on vaccine hesitancy per se, what we should be doing is trying to promote even better levels of vaccine confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Glynn said an effective communications strategy would be one of the key tools needed for a successful implementation strategy.<\/p>\n
Professor Karina Butler, head of the National Immunization Advisory Committee, said the vaccine provided \u201chope\u201d that we can begin \u201ca path back towards a more normal lifestyle\u201d.<\/p>\n
But she warned that this \u201cwill not happen overnight\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccination is the key that will help open that pathway back to normality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very much our hope that in time this virus will be listed along with diphtheria and polio as organisms that vaccination has controlled, if not conquered.\u201d<\/p>\n