by David Raleigh
A PUBLIC health expert has urged everyone over the age of 12 years to get a Covid-19 vaccination “as soon as possible” to try to slow down the spread of the deadly virus in the run up to Christmas.
The warning call by Dr Rose Fitzgerald, a specialist in Public Health Medicine, is included in a joint statement released today by the Department of Public Health Mid West, HSE, and UL Hospitals Group, in which they state their concern, “that there will be a significant increase in Covid-19 infections across every pocket of society as a result of Christmas social activity and the emergence of the Omicron variant”.
Dr Fitzgerald, who is helping to monitor the spread of the virus across the Mid West region, said: “I urge anyone over the age of 12 who has not yet had a Covid-19 vaccine to get one as soon as possible, and she warned that “while vaccination uptake rates in Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary are high there is evidence of waning immunity among those who were vaccinated more than six months ago”.
Between 94 per cent and 97 per cent of all 12-18 year-olds in the Mid West region have been fully vaccinated, according to provisional data released by Public Health Mid West.
“Since August, we have recorded serious illness and deaths among fully vaccinated elderly and medically vulnerable people in the Mid West. This is why booster doses are especially important for the elderly and those who have chronic diseases or weak immune systems.”
The joint statement urged everyone to limit social activity and social contacts in the coming days in order to reduce the risk of household outbreaks this weekend” and advised that “those at highest risk of serious illness, are the unvaccinated, the elderly, vulnerable, and immunocompromised who have not received their booster”.
It said that “mixed vaccination, also known as heterologous vaccination, is safe” and that people who availed of the AstraZeneca and single shot Janssen (adenoviral vector vaccines) “can safely receive a booster mRNA vaccine, with either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, as soon as they are eligible”.
Irene O’Connor, General Manager of the UL Hospital’s Group Covid-19 vaccination centres, said every effort is being made to create opportunities for people to get vaccinated or receive booster doses prior to Christmas, and that they had “increased walk-in Covid-19 booster clinics for those aged 40 years and older, and for anyone who has not had their Dose 1 or Dose 2 vaccine”.
“Our permanent relocation of the Clare Vaccination Centre to the West County Hotel, Ennis, from this Wednesday, December 22, will immediately triple that centre’s capacity for walk-in clinics,” Ms O’Connor said.
Maria Bridgeman, Chief Officer, HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, reminded people that testing would be conducted at centres “throughout the Christmas period” and that, “as walk-in testing is not available, people who require a Covid test are asked to book their appointments online via www.hse.ie”.
