Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke has urged the government to ensure that there are no delays in the setting up of vaccine centres.
Teachta Clarke said:
“For the first time since the start of this pandemic we can see an endpoint. The lockdown has been hard on many people physically, mentally and financially. The quicker we get the disease under control the quicker we can go back to normality.
“We also have to be wary of the possibility of mutated forms of the disease being resistant to the vaccines and the longer the pandemic goes on for the higher the risk of this occurring. Most of all we want to get to a place where no more people are sick or dying from this disease.
“For this reason it is essential that we see no more hiccups in the vaccine rollout. We can’t afford any delays in the establishment of vaccine centres. I will be closely monitoring the centres in Longford-Westmeath. The three centres in Bloomfield Hotel in Mullingar, the AIT in Athlone and the GAA Centre in Newtonforbes.
“As of 10th March there have been 42,000 vaccines administered as part of the Integrated Vaccination Programme incorporating both hospital and community services. One positive figure relayed by the HSE is that 95% of vaccine doses are used within 7 days of arrival. To keep up this figure when we do receive the rest of our doses we need the infrastructure in place to administer them.”
ENDS
