Community centres should be used to help rollout vaccines
By Éadaoin Ní Flaithearta
LOCAL community centres should be used to expedite the rollout of the HSE’s coronavirus vaccine programme and to prevent elderly people from travelling to other areas to attend vaccination clinics, according to a local councillor.
The vaccine rollout hit a snag this week, as the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been temporarily paused over potential health concerns about patients developing blood clots after receiving the jab.
It is understood Kilnamanagh Community Centre was offered to assist in the rollout of the vaccine programme
However, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are still being administered at vaccination centres and some GP surgeries around the country, while community pharmacies are expected to start administering vaccines next month.
Fianna Fáil councillor for Tallaght Central, Charlie O’Connor, said he has been contacted by several Kingswood and Kilnamanagh residents who were unhappy about having to travel to a vaccination centre outside of their area, in Killinarden.
Cllr O’Connor told The Echo that local community centres should be used to assist in the vaccine rollout, but he added that the HSE has not been receptive to the idea.
“Because people have to go to the vaccination centre, they have to leave their estates,” he said.
“At a time when the pressure is on to deliver the vaccines quickly, it’s a pity that the HSE won’t use the community centres.
“Provision should have been taken to facilitate elderly people who didn’t want to travel and had to get their family to bring them for the vaccine.”
According to Cllr O’Connor, the community centre in Kingswood was offered to the HSE for the vaccine rollout, and he understands the community centre in Kilnamanagh was offered for the same purpose, but both were turned down by the HSE.
“I think it’s a pity that advantage wasn’t taken of the availability of community centres in housing estates,” added Cllr O’Connor.
“People are anxious that the vaccine programme will be expedited.
“The HSE is trying to get vaccines [to the community], and they should take advantage of the offers of community spaces.”
Cllr O’Connor recently submitted a parliamentary question in relation to the issue, to which the HSE responded that consideration had to be given to “transportation, storage, delivery and security considerations around the vaccines”.
As such, they stated vaccines had to be delivered within a model set out by the HSE to “assure consistently safe and effective distribution and administration of the vaccine”.
The HSE concluded: “In this context it has not been possible to facilitate the accommodation of requests for deployment of clinics in churches, local halls and centres, notwithstanding our recognition of the motivation and good intentions of all involved.”
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