Acceleration of rollout with 212 deaths in district

DOWNPATRICK has been nominated as a dedicated hub for coronavirus jabs as the vaccination programme is accelerated across Northern 

Ireland in light of the emerging Omicron variant.

The Downshire Hospital’s Great Hall will be open this Saturday and Sunday between 9.30am and 3.30pm to administer first and second dose coronavirus jabs and also help meet demand for the booster vaccination.

Children aged between 12 and 17 can get a first dose Pfizer vaccine in Downpatrick this weekend, with second doses available for 16 and 17 year olds at the walk-in clinic.

Booster vaccines are also available at the clinic for those over 50 who had their second vaccine at least three months ago, while people aged between 40 and 49 who had their second coronavirus jab six months ago or more are eligible for the booster vaccine and can walk-in or book online.

All those attending the clinic must bring photographic ID with them and their health and care number, if possible, and the date of their 

previous vaccination, while children aged between 12 and 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Since April last year, coronavirus has claimed the lives of 212 people in the Newry, Mourne and Down area and with the emergence of the Omicron variant, Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann is keen for people to get vaccinated and also receive their booster jab.

On Monday, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended booster jabs be offered to over-18s with the health minister explaining the aim is to “bring booster doses to all eligible age groups as quickly as possible”.

Mr Swann is also urging the public not to “be put off getting their first, second or booster doses due to concerns or speculation about the Omicron variant”.

He said it was “very likely that vaccination will continue to protect against severe illness from Omicron as it does against other variants of SARS-CoV-2” and that vaccines provide very good protection against the Delta variant, which remains the predominant strain in Northern Ireland.

The JCVI also said the minimum gap between the second vaccine dose and booster should be reduced from six to three months and that children aged between 12 and 15 should be invited for a second jab.

Mr Swann said the vaccination programme will continue to “pull out all the stops” to bring booster doses to all eligible age groups as quickly as possible.

“Our booster programme will now in many ways mirror the primary dose vaccination programme which steadily moved its way down through the different age groups over a number of months.

We have now delivered more than three million Covid-19 jabs in Northern Ireland in under a year and that is a remarkable achievement by a health system under severe and relentless pressure,” he said.

“I would again urge people not to be put off getting their first, second or booster doses due to concerns or speculation about the Omicron variant,” he said.

The Minister revealed details of health trust vaccination hubs and clinics that are opening across Northern Ireland, including the one at the Downshire Hospital and said they will complement the ongoing vaccination work of GPs and local pharmacies, significantly increasing the system’s capacity to deliver boosters.

Patricia Donnelly, head of NI’s vaccination programme, highlighted the need to make the best use of all vaccinators across the health and care system which is why responsibilities have to be divided up at this point. 

She added: “I want to thank all those people who have come forward in the last year to be vaccinators; we need you and ask that you step forward to support us once again in this important expansion of the programme.

“The roll-out of boosters to the entire adult population will be on a staged basis, given the JCVI recommendation and the required gap between second dose and booster.”

South Down MLA Colin McGrath has welcomed the “significant step” in the delivery of the booster vaccination programme and is encouraging those who have not yet had their jab to make their way to the Downshire site this weekend.

“The spread of the virus has been at an astounding rate with few local families not experiencing someone who has been infected,” he said. “The vaccination programme is the most successful way to prevent catching the virus and if you do catch it, it prevents the worst ravages of it and reduces hospitalisation.

“It is recognised that the effectiveness of the vaccination wains after six months and so a booster is essential. Given that most people had received the vaccine by the summer, we now need people to get the booster jab to maintain their protection.”

Mr McGrath said he hopes that as many people as possible can avail of the jabs on offer this weekend in Downpatrick.

• Vaccination bookings can be made online at https://covid-19.hscni.net/get-vaccinated/ while a list of pharmacies offering the booster jab is available on the Health and Social Care Board website www.hscboard.hscni.net/booster-covid19-vaccination/