{"id":24471,"date":"2021-12-16T13:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T18:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24471"},"modified":"2021-12-17T08:29:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T13:29:31","slug":"titanic-exhibition-center-to-be-converted-into-mass-vaccination-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24471","title":{"rendered":"Titanic Exhibition Center To Be Converted Into Mass Vaccination Site"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Health chiefs aim to deliver 4,000 vaccines a day when the center in east Belfast opens next week for booster jabs as well as first and second doses (PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Titanic Exhibition Center in east Belfast is set to be transformed into Northern Ireland\u2019s latest mass Covid-19 vaccination center by next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health chiefs are hoping that 4,000 vaccines a day will be delivered at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will offer the booster jab as well as first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tanya Daly, clinical lead of the Covid-19 vaccination program for the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, said the facility would be open to residents from across Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a mammoth task, we\u2019re sitting with an empty building at the minute, and we\u2019re hoping to open as soon as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are a lot of logistics around it, we need to get the equipment in, we need to get our pharmacy stations sorted, and we have our rosters already open for our staff. We will open as soon as we can early next week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Daly explained that they would be able to get a larger number of people through the center than they could at a hospital site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also have excellent car parking here, we\u2019ve got good public transport links, so that\u2019s the benefits of being on a larger site \u2013 more people in a better location,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Daly urged people to come forward for the vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s extremely important that we get the boosters, we know that the Omicron variant is very transmissible, and the booster is going to help people not become as ill,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we will be able to offer first and second doses as well, so anybody who hasn\u2019t had their first dose yet, please come forward, we\u2019re here, and we can give you your first dose of Pfizer or your second dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a regional response, so while the South Eastern Trust are opening this mass center here at Titanic Exhibition Centre, every trust across the region is opening larger centers, GPs are rolling out their program, they\u2019re going to open to all age groups as well as of course we have our community pharmacy colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we did in the SSE Arena, anybody who wants to have their booster vaccine, or first or second dose, please turn up. There will be walk-ins and there will be opportunity to book appointments as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith Owens, chief executive of TBL International, said they were absolutely delighted to partner with the trust to offer the Titanic Exhibition Centre as a facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe building unfortunately has been empty over the last couple of months because many of the events that we would have put on here had to be postponed because of the pandemic, so therefore it is great that we\u2019re able to repurpose it and mobilize it into a vaccine center, which will hopefully open next week,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole building is 6,000 square meters of clear span space \u2026 it\u2019s very well ventilated and from talking to the South Eastern Trust over the last couple of days it will work really well as a vaccination center.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The center is set to be open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week for the next three weeks. It will not be open on Christmas Day or St Stephens Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Eastern Trust delivered more than 350,000 vaccines at a previous mass vaccination center at the SSE Arena for people from all over Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

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