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Around 200 GP practices have not received any coronavirus vaccine - Dr Illona Duffy

Around 200 Irish GP practices have yet to receive any coronavirus vaccines, according to a Monagh...
Michael Staines
Michael Staines

09.17 4 Mar 2021


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Around 200 GP practices have n...

Around 200 GP practices have not received any coronavirus vaccine - Dr Illona Duffy

Michael Staines
Michael Staines

09.17 4 Mar 2021


Share this article


Around 200 Irish GP practices have yet to receive any coronavirus vaccines, according to a Monaghan-based doctor.

The HSE last week missed its target of administering 100,000 vaccine doses – with just over 81,000 rolled out over the seven days.

That came after the HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid told Newstalk that ‘well over’ 100,000 doses would be administered.

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GPs Main image: Dr Illona Duffy. Picture via HSE

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy said she had to cancel a planned vaccine clinic last week when no jabs arrived.

The clinic has since got up and running this week.

“I am aware of two other practices in Monaghan Town alone who have still received no vaccines,” she said.

“So, they haven’t been able to vaccinate their over-85-year-old population and still are not sure when they are going to get them.

“I think we are aware that about 200 practices have not received vaccines and it is really not good enough.”

Anger

She said doctors are the font line are now bearing the brunt of people’s anger over the slow rollout of the jab.

“We are now facing anger from families and patients themselves,” she said.

“Even at our clinic on Tuesday, I had the son of patient come and give out to us to tell us it was our ineptitude that we hadn’t vaccinated all our patients at this stage because the HSE was quite clear that everyone over 80 would now be vaccinated this week.

“So, even the message they are putting out is not clear and is not fair either.”

Vials of the BioNTech/Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at Waterford Primary Care Centre in County Waterford, 16-02-2021. Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images

The Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the majority of people over the age of 85 will be vaccinated by the end of this week; however, Dr Duffy said that is now not going to happen.

“The public are getting anxious at this stage,” she said. “They are feeling that their elderly relatives should be well on the way to being vaccinated.

“We are being given targets and dates and already, Stephen Donnelly had said that every over-85-year-old would have been vaccinated by the end of this week – We know that can’t happen.

“I think that is disappointing. It creates agro, it creates hassle, it creates anxiety, it creates worry and it can’t continue to happen.”

Vaccine deliveries

Also on the show, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said the Government must start publishing figures on the number of doses arriving into the country so we can properly gauge the performance of the programme.

“There are about 184,000 vaccines that have not been accounted for,” she said. “Now, if it is the case that the deliveries did not come as expected, well then just say that but at the moment we have no way of gauging how efficient or otherwise the HSE is in getting the vaccinations out.”

“I think everyone accepts that some of this stuff we don’t have control over. Deliveries don’t come if there is glitch – but just say that and be clear about what the situation is.”

Mass vaccination

Deputy Murphy noted that, in order to hit is target of 1.2 million doses per month from April, the HSE will have to increase its daily count from 11,000 doses a day to 42,000.

“We need assurance that from April 1st we are going to be organised in a way that we can get those large numbers out every day,” she said.

“It would be unforgivable if there were vaccines lying there and insufficient staff. That is why I am calling for a plan to be published so we know we will be ready for that and we will have the confidence that the HSE will actually do the job on time.”


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