The first Covid vaccines should be given out at St Luke’s by the end of the week.
Local SIPTU rep Denis Hynes says staff at the general hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny were given the news yesterday.
KCLR understands that the first delivery is due on Thursday, and the jabs could then be administered at the local hospital from Friday onwards.
Cllr Hynes says, however, that they still need clarification;
“The staff heard yesterday evening that there are rumblings of the possibility [the vaccine] will arrive in the hospital at the end of the week, but we haven’t got confirmation of that yet” he told KCLR Live.
Meanwhile, some local nursing homes claim they are still awaiting clarification as to when they will receive the vaccine.
However the rollout is due to start locally this week with Tinnypark Nursing Home in Kilkenny expecting its first jabs administered on Thursday.
The Head of Public Health for the HSE South East says it’s important that the rollout is done in a controlled and proper fashion.
Dr Carmel Mullaney has told KCLR that “It is starting to be rolled out in the South East this week. That’s very positive. There are a number of factors though, including supply of the vaccine, that will impact how quickly it can be rolled out. But I know that every effort is being put in to make sure that this is done as quickly as possible to make an impact on this pandemic.”
