Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
MONDAY SHOULD HAVE been all about the beginning of Ireland’s vaccine roll-out to those aged over 70, as the programme moving out into the community and started the third phase of the immunisation plan.
Instead, the focus shifted to a list of 37 planned locations for mass vaccination centres – with more questions than answers arising about when and how they will be used.
Some of these venues still have not had their contracts finalised and were caught off guard by the announcement. And a failure to mention the significant role GP surgeries will still play in this phase of the vaccination programme – or when any of this will even begin – caused confusion and worry.
This government’s communications strategy has come under repeated criticism in recent months – as kite-flying and ill-timed leaks about restrictions and other measures frustrate an exhausted population.
So it was the wrong moment to bungle an announcement.
On Monday morning Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly held a background briefing on the vaccination programme, with only health correspondents invited.
TheJournal.ie, which, like many other Irish media organisations, does not have a health correspondent – but has extensively covered the pandemic and vaccination roll-out – did not receive an invitation. Government spokespeople have assured media outlets this will not happen again.
As it turned out, there was little to miss at the exclusive briefing by the minister.
A list of locations for mass vaccination centres was released, with some basic details about how they will be used. Here’s the list:
Carlow – The Seven Oaks Hotel – Athy Road, Carlow
Cavan – Kilmore Hotel – Dublin Road, Kilgarry
Clare – West County Hotel – Limerick Road, Ennis
Cork – Páirc Uí Chaoimh – The Marina, Cork city
Cork - City Hall Cork – City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork city
Cork - MTU Campus Melbourn Building - Melbourn Rd, Bishopstown, Cork
Westmeath – International Arena AIT – Dublin Road, Athlone, Co Westmeath
Westmeath – Bloomfield House Hotel – Mullingar, Co Westmeath
Wexford – Riverside Hotel Enniscorthy – The Promenade, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford
Wicklow – Arklow Bay Hotel and Conference Centre – Sea Rd, Ferrybank, Arklow, Co Wicklow
Wicklow – Charlesland Golf Club – Greystones, Co Wicklow
Immediately issues were raised with some of the venues on the list. For a start, anyone with an appointment at the Radisson Hotel in Limerick – or is it actually in Co Clare? – would have to walk across a busy four-lane dual carriageway if they did not drive and relied on public transport to get there.
Agree - 💯the only way to get there with public transport is to go to Bunratty - cross road get next bus back towards Limerick- get off on road & walk to hotel -then bus back to Limerick /we all want to be positive & help but @UL@LimerickIT@thomondstadium would be more sensible https://t.co/XViRehPODK
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson David Cullinane on Monday said that while the announcement of locations marked progress, “detail is still lacking”.
“There is no location in Limerick city, and counties with a very wide population spread such as Donegal only have one,” he pointed out. “We need to build on this, and the criteria used in the decision making should be transparent.
“This process and the choice of locations should be explained very clearly.”
Maybe it was explained clearly at the minister’s technical briefing on Monday morning.
But in the press release issued by his department detailing the 37 locations, there was no emphasis on the large role GP surgeries and smaller local vaccination hubs will play whenever the mass roll-out begins.
The only mention of general practice was this:
“While currently vaccines are being administered in healthcare settings and by GPs, many people will be offered their vaccination in these centres, having self-registered online.”
Later in the week HSE CEO Paul Reid made it clear that there will be several options, depending on people’s circumstances and locations, when the vaccination programme fully ramps up.
“Vaccination centres are one of a range of locations where we’ll be delivering the vaccine including GP clinics, including buddying up clinics [multiple GPs from an area using one larger surgery], including the centres that we have going live this weekend,” he said.
“And also vaccination centres, both bigger regional ones and smaller local ones around the country.”
Controversy over the communications strategy and confusion about how people will get to these 37 centres was followed on Tuesday by revelations that contracts have not been finalised for all of these centres and some venues had not been expecting the minister’s announcement.
The Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow said that while it would be delighted to play a role in the vaccination roll-out and it had received enquiries from the HSE, the use of the venue had not been confirmed.
A spokesperson for the minister told TheJournal.ie the hotel in Carlow – announced as one of the locations just the day before – had been identified as a possible location but in recent days, due to a change in specifications, it was deemed too small.
Later that day the HSE confirmed a change to the location. Instead the sports hall at Carlow IT will be used because it offers better car parking facilities, access and internal space.
Two other venues – Charlesland Golf Club in Wicklow and The Bloomfield House Hotel in Westmeath – told this publication that full confirmation had not been received.
Gabriel Dooley, the estate agent who has been managing the plans for Charlesland Golf Club, told TheJournal.ie that the announcement had been a surprise.
“Nothing was run by the owners or us before they published the list,” he said.
Advertisement
He said that while planning for the vaccination centre is at an advanced stage and discussions with suppliers are ongoing, “the deal hasn’t been finalised”.
The list released on Monday stated that contracts for just two of the venues were yet to be finalised, but this related to two other venues; Longford Slashers GAA and Faithful Field GAA Centre.
Health officials have said the list is subject to change, with the HSE’s Paul Reid this week stressing “that will be the nature of the programme, that’s the nature of the adaptability that we have to show”.
How will they work?
While there is still no set timeline for the full roll-out of these vaccination centres, there are a few things we do know about them.
They were chosen locally based on a number of factors including population catchment, travel and distance time (aim of 30-40 minutes), parking and the availability of the space for a sustained period of time.
The larger centres will have 30 to 50 booths, delivering 3,000 to 5,000 vaccines per day and working on a 12-hour shift basis. Smaller centres will have 10 to 12 booths and will deliver 1,000 to 2,000 vaccines per day.
While many people will receive their vaccine in these centres, many others will be able to go to a local GP surgery for their jab. It is also expected that pharmacists will play a role, though this is another uncertain element of the plan.
The Irish Pharmacy Union has said the government has agreed funding for community pharmacies to administer vaccines.
However it told TheJournal.ie that it has “no clear details on exactly how and when we will be able to start providing a vaccination service to vulnerable patients and the broader public.”
In the coming months, people will be able to self-register online to go to a centre to receive their vaccine. This system is not yet available and further details are expected as we move into the second quarter of the year.
The government is expecting all those over the age of 70 will be fully vaccinated by mid-May. It is not clear whether the majority of these centres will be open by the time the vaccination programme moves to the fifth group, those aged 65-69.
But afterwards it will be the turn of those aged 18-64 who have conditions that put them at risk and HSE officials this week indicated that vaccination centres will be used for this cohort.
As we move into the second quarter of the year, the government – and the European Commission – has assured people that there will be a significant increase in the level of vaccine supply. Currently there are three vaccines that can be used once mass vaccination centres and the wider roll-out gets underway; the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine and the AstraZeneca jab.
It is expected that the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will be approved by the EMA in the coming weeks and will also be available in Ireland in the second quarter of the year.
‘We are ready for the next phase’
Officials and ministers have pointed to supply as the main issue with the vaccination programme, as 94% of available vaccines are being administered.
And yesterday the Taoiseach rejected the suggestion that the public’s frustration about the management of the pandemic was down to a communications problem.
“No, I just think it’s the fact that people are facing into a significant period of restrictions,” he said. “It’s understandably causing a lot of upset and worry and concern.”
He said the news on vaccination centres was given to indicate to people that “we are ready and prepared for the mass vaccination phase of the roll-out programme”.
“We have always made it clear that GP surgeries would be the key area, we had already announced that for over 70s.
“And I think vaccination centres are themselves evidence that the HSE is developing very strong capacity, it demonstrates that when we need to be significantly increasing the level of vaccinations – for example when we have 250,000 per week, one million per month – in addition to GPs and pharmacies we will have vaccination centres.”
Martin said as the supply of vaccine doses increases and the roll-out gains momentum, this may give the government “better choices” when it comes to decisions on restrictions.
It looks likely that strict measures will remain in place at least until the middle of April as the government has said it needs to be cautious about easing restrictions while it rolls out the immunisation programme.
Martin told TheJournal.ie that the phased re-opening of schools and the impact this has on levels of transmission across the country will inform any further relaxation of measures.
Officials will be closely monitoring the school re-opening to assess the threat posed by the new and more transmissible variant to the progress that has been made since the start of the year.
“NPHET are advising Monday, government will decide on Tuesday in relation to the restrictions, but they will be reviewed on a regular basis and in particular, depending on the impact of the first phase of the reopening, which is the schools at the beginning of March [it will be the] middle of March before the reviews,” Martin said.
“It will be kept under constant review, particularly as the vaccination programme rolls out and perhaps gives us better choices. So nothing is set in stone.”
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
TheJournal.ie's Coronavirus Newsletter
TheJournal.ie's coronavirus newsletter cuts through the misinformation and noise with the clear facts you need to make informed choices. Sign up here
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
68 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: From the still image the keeper caught him with his trailing left arm after punching the ball clear with his right. Could have been a head or neck injury nothing been confirmed other than he’s now stable in hospital.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: broken bones in his face & eye socket & bad concussion aparently.good to see hes awake though and stable in hospital.was scary enough watching can only imagine how frightened his family were. Speedy recovery!
@Ann Nugent: no way hard luck. DEFINITELY DELIGHTED SCOTLAND GONE..DONT FORGET THEM AND WALES VOTED FOR FRANCE TO HOLD RUGBY WORLD CUP LAST YEAR . TOOK THE BIG FAT BROWN ENVELOPE. AT LEAST ENGLAND
Man arrested in Tyrone by police investigating murder of elderly man at apartment
1 hr ago
845
Oval Office
Zelenskyy leaves White House summit after Trump claims he's 'not ready for peace'
Updated
17 hrs ago
98.3k
593
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 153 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 105 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 137 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 106 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 79 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 78 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 38 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 34 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 127 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 60 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 75 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 82 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 39 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 43 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 25 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 87 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 97 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 69 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 51 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 85 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 65 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say