Moate vaccine centre opens, replacing Athlone and Mullingar facilities

Moate is now home to the only Covid-19 vaccination centre in Westmeath, with its new vaccine facility replacing centres that were in use at Athlone IT and the Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar.

A HSE spokesperson said vaccines began to be administered this afternoon (Thursday) at Moate Community Centre, across from the Tuar Ard Theatre.

The vaccination centre in the Athlone IT International Arena, which had been the largest facility of its kind in the Midlands, closed on Sunday last having being in use since April 21.

The HSE confirmed this week that its licensing arrangement to administer vaccines at the Bloomfield House Hotel had expired and that this centre would also close as a result.

The Moate vaccination centre "will be running 12 hours a day, seven days weekly, but this is subject to change based on demand," HSE spokesperson Ciaran Brennan told the Westmeath Independent today.

A total of 18 vaccination booths are being put in place at the community centre.

The AIT centre, which had 40 vaccine booths, cost the HSE almost €700,000 for its rental and fit-out.

In an overview document on vaccination centres, the HSE said it had incurred site-related costs of €677,200 in relation to its use of the Athlone facility.

This was broken down as €386,000 for fit-out and equipment hire, and €291,200 for rental of the site.

In total, the HSE was expecting to pay just over €1.9m in site costs associated with vaccination centres across the counties of Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford, Offaly and Laois between March and September of this year.