The Republic has just passed the half a million vaccination milestone. RollingNews.ie photo.
By Anthony Neeson
The Republic of Ireland reached a milestone last weekend with over half a million vaccines being administered. This number includes 150,000 people receiving their second jab.
Ireland’s vaccination got off to a slow start due to low numbers of vaccines in the European Union. However, the supply and the administering of doses has been ramped up in recent weeks and looks set to continue in the coming months.
On Saturday, March 6, Taoiseach Micheál Martin tweeted that he had just been informed by the HSE that Ireland has passed the half a million mark of Covid doses being administered.
“Good news. The vaccines are having a significant impact on mortality and serious illness. The number of Covid patients in hospital and ICUs reducing all the time.”
In a video posted earlier the taoiseach said that the vaccine is working.
“This can be seen in the reduced levels of infection in our nursing homes and with our frontline health care workers. This brings hope along with the continued fall in Covid numbers thanks to the sacrifices you have been making," he said.
“The fourteen day incidence level fell below 200 this week – the first time since Christmas. While our health services are still under pressure the number of patients in our hospitals and ICUs is reducing significantly. There has been a steady decline in case numbers, principally because the vast majority of people are adhering to the guidelines.”
Paul Reid, CEO of the Health Service Executive, said thousands more vaccinations will take place in the week ahead. He was speaking at the Helix Theatre in Dublin City University, which is being used as a vaccination center.
“Next we’re aiming to do over 80,000 again and it’s a combination of finishing off some long term care facilities also some frontline health care workers. We will continue in the 80 years and over category and then we’re addressing about 10,000 of the medically vulnerable groups,” he said.
The Republic is still behind Northern Ireland when it comes to vaccinations with 30 percent of the North’s population now having received a first jab.
