Contrary to the impression given in a local newspaper report this week the Covid-19 vaccination centre opened at the gymnasium at DIFE is not intended as a mass vaccination facility for the general public.
The General Manager of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Louth County Hospital, Fiona Brady, has confirmed to local public representatives that it is not part of the HSE Community vaccination programme.
“It remains our own local hospital vaccination hub” she said. “The move to DIFE now provides easy access for parking for our patients who have mobility difficulties.
“We were also conscious of bringing the vulnerable patient group into our hospital where we still have Covid, hence the move.
In an email to Fergus O’Dowd Ms Brady says: “Management at DIFE kindly offered OLOL the use of their gym to assist the hospital vaccine roll out to our patients in the Group 4 A & B category (people identified by their hospital team as very high risk and are aged 16 to 69) and also for our own staff.”
Deputy Ged Nash added: “It is important that the HSE confirmed, as did the Lourdes Hospital, that the centre at DIFE is an off-site initiative of the hospital to vaccinate staff, other health workers and patients with certain category four conditions.
“These are people scheduled to be vaccinated at the Lourdes anyway and who will now be inoculated at DIFE instead.
“This is not a HSE facility for mass vaccinations and should not be represented as such.”
However, the HSE has confirmed to Deputy Ged Nash that they have identified two potential sites in Drogheda for the proposed location of a community mass vaccination centre for Drogheda and environs.
“This is good news for Drogheda, South Louth and East Meath and I will keep pursuing this to the end” he said.
