THE HSE HAS said that it carried out 33,000 first or second dose Covid-19 vaccines last week, with more people registering for a Covid jab for the first time. 

Speaking at a briefing this afternoon, HSE CEO Paul Reid said that “it’s never too late” for people to get their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and that there is “no judging” those who are registering now. 

“For those who remain unvaccinated, we remain available to answer any queries to answer any of your concerns. We continue to see more and more people come forward for the first vaccination. We’re seeing on average about 1,800 people a day still coming forward to register and everybody who’s unvaccinated should take encouragement from that,” he said. 

Those who are unvaccinated at this point in time, it’s never too late, nobody is judging anybody in terms of when or how they come through for vaccination. We’re there to support people and make them feel confident to come forward.  

Reid also said there has been an “encouraging” increase in the number of pregnant women who report being fully vaccinated, with 58% of those in a recent survey reporting being vaccinated, an increase he said from 28-40% in recent weeks. 

Underlying the importance of pregnant women availing of a Covid-19 vaccine, Reid said that a total of 53 pregnant women have been admitted to ICU from April up to the end of October and that only one of these patients were vaccinated. There were no fatalities among that group. 

ICU

In terms of ICU admissions, the HSE has said there are currently 90 people in ICU with Covid-19. Of that number, 52% of those in ICU have received no vaccination, 3% are partially vaccinated and 42% are fully vaccinated. 

HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry went on to say that 64% of all Covid-19 ICU admission between 1 April and 20 October 2021 related to people who were unvaccinated. 

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Henry also said that 98% of the fully vaccinated people who have been admitted to ICU had an underlying condition, which he said “underlines the importance of this booster campaign”.

“It protects people with conditions, those who are vulnerable due to age or underlying conditions from a serious illness,” he said.