Over 85-year-olds to start receiving Covid vaccinations today

This week alone, more than 80,000 vaccines will be administered nationally - more than double the weekly average up to this point. File Picture

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines to people over the age of 85 is set to begin today.

As part of the rollout, those over the age of 85 will receive their first dose from their GP or from a designated vaccination centre.

More than 80 GP practices in 20 counties will administer nearly 12,000 doses of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine over the next three weeks.

In advance of today’s commencement, around 3,000 GPs and practice nurses received batches of the vaccine yesterday.

This week alone, over 80,000 vaccines will be administered nationally - more than double the weekly average up to this point.

40,000 staff and residents in long-term care facilities are expected to receive their second doses, and 25,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered to frontline healthcare workers.

HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid said today would be the beginning of a "key week" for the country in the fight against the virus.

The Chairman of the GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Denis McCauley has said that he expects a very positive response to the rollout.

“When we ask them they will come,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.

He said that patients are “very keen” to receive their first jab.

Dr McCauley said that of the 144 patients in that cohort in his own practice there have been “zero refusals.” 

He said that some practices have experienced an amazing response thus far, with all their patients in this age group responding within three hours of receiving a text about the vaccine.

“Clinics have been booked out,” he said. 

Either the patients themselves or members of their family are technically “savvy” and are responding to the texts, he said.

On RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland Dr Shane McKeogh, founder of the GP Buddy system which has been monitoring Covid cases, has said they have experienced no hesitancy among the 110 patients over the age of 85 in his practice.

They are thrilled, absolutely delighted to receive the call, they can’t wait to get it. 

Dr McKeogh added that the GP Buddy system has noticed a decrease in the number of patients being referred for Covid tests. 

After Christmas when numbers were high they had recorded an average of eight to 10 patients being referred each day, but that figure has come down to one case per day recently, Dr McKeogh said.

Meanwhile, the Government has committed to a target of giving all over-70s their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine by mid-May. 

Up to last Thursday, February 11, just over 261,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered across the country - 171,239 people have received their first dose and 89,834 people have received both doses.