Mullingar people will get Covid jab in AIT until Bloomfield centre opens - HSE

(Above)Athlone IT's International Arena is the site of the vaccine centre opened on April 20.

The HSE says that eligible people from Mullingar will be vaccinated at the International Arena at Athlone IT until the facility at the Bloomfield House Hotel opens on May 5.

People living in the Mullingar area, who are in the 65-69 age group, have been surprised to receive appointments for the centre in AIT, which opened last Wednesday, April 21, along with a facility in the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise.

When contacted by the Westmeath Examiner, the HSE said that “people are currently being invited to the Centre at AIT as the other centres have not opened”.

Once the centre at the Bloomfield House Hotel is opened on May 5, the HSE says that it will be able to vaccinate up 1,200 people a day. Ten vaccinators will be working at a time, and the intention is to scale up the operation so that there are teams in action for 12 hours a day seven days a week.

Ireland must show leadership on global vaccine distribution - Troy

Meanwhile, Minister of State Robert Troy has said that Ireland must show leadership when it comes to the global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

Speaking ahead of a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting on Friday to decide on whether to introduce a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines that would enable developing countries to manufacture the jabs for their own citizens, Deputy Troy said that “it is morally right to ensure that we have a fair and equitable system”.

“I am firmly of the belief that no one is safe until everyone is safe. As a country, Ireland has always been a world leader in helping vulnerable people. An inequitable distribution of vaccines will lead to parts of the world falling behind,” he said.