Smiles all-round as 171 patients receive vaccine
By Aimee Walsh
THERE was an air of hopefulness and relief at Aylesbury Clinic amongst those in the over 85s group receiving their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination.
There were smiles all-round as 171 patients received their first dose of the vaccine at the clinic in Old Bawn, Tallaght last Saturday, February 20. For many the vaccination is seen as a light at the end of the tunnel.
Philomena Grogan delighted at getting the vaccine in Aylesbury clinic
Practicing doctor at Aylesbury Clinic, Dr Andrew Jordan said: “I have to say that in terms of vaccinations or anything that we have done I don’t think we have seen as many people as delighted to get anything. As far as I know I don’t know of any patient that refused to get it.
“They were delighted to be getting it. In some cases, some of the families were saying it’s the first time many of them had been out of the house since the pandemic started.”
So far, currently 219,000 people in Ireland have been given first dose vaccinations, and 130,423 have been given their second dose. There has been criticism from the public regarding the pace of the vaccine roll-out.
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, recently confirmed locations for 37 vaccination centres across Ireland for the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme.
Dr Barry Quinn and Martin Conroy
Dr Jordan explained that the clinic initially planned to use the church in Aylesbury as a vaccination centre but were refused by the HSE.
“In two weeks-time we will have vaccines for 80-84 then 75-80 but the groups get bigger as you go down, and the problem is not the vaccines it’s the fact you have to hold the patient for 15 minutes for observation after the vaccine.
Dr Raihan Khalid and Dr Barry Quinn
“That 15 minutes is a limiting factor because even though our surgery in Aylesbury is very big, it means from here on in if we do not get to use a bigger area like the church which there is over 60 socially distanced seating arrangements, we will have to cancel surgeries, which is what is happening in the hospitals.
Rebacca Doyle and Mary Doyle
“We want to use the church for the vaccine so we can do large numbers on weekends, and it doesn’t interfere with the normal face to face consultations during the week.” Dr Jordan told The Echo.
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