Covid-19: Mass vaccination clinic opens in Cork city for healthcare workers

Medical staff at the South Infirmary Hospital, Cork aim to deliver vaccines to 1,200 frontline workers ovwer the weekend.  Picture: Dan Linehan

A mass vaccination programme is underway at a Cork city hospital this weekend in a bid to administer Covid-19 vaccines to 1,200 frontline healthcare workers.

The clinical director of the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH), Dr Michelle Murphy, described it as a day of hope for healthcare staff across the region.

“We are undoubtedly facing into a very difficult period but the roll-out of the vaccine has given healthcare workers and the wider population the hope that although we are facing a difficult few weeks, there is an end in sight. This is a hugely positive step,” she said.

Up to 14 hospital staff have volunteered as vaccinators, and they expect to administer the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to around 1,200 primary healthcare workers, including GPs and their practice staff, National Ambulance paramedics, public health nurses, and other members of various primary healthcare teams drawn from Cork city and country over the next two days.

Members of the medical team at the South Infirmary hospital. Picture: Dan Linehan

The vaccinators reported for duty at 8am this morning, and they will continue working until around 6pm today, and again tomorrow, until they have administered vaccines to all on their list.

SIVUH has been designated a vaccination centre for healthcare staff for the region and its old pathology building was repurposed on New Year’s Eve as a vaccination clinic.

Dr Murphy paid particular tribute to the response of staff in SIVUH’s medical, pharmacy, nursing, and portering departments to the move which has seen some 1,500 vaccines administered at the clinic since January 1.

But she said this weekend’s mass vaccination drive is a major step forward to the fight against Covid-19.

We have administered about 1,500 vaccines in the last week but we plan to administer 1,200 doses of the vaccine across this weekend alone. It has been a major logistical exercise but the response from staff has just been incredible

While the administration of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine itself is relatively easy, and very similar to the flu jab, Dr Murphy said the logistics around the storage, management and preparation of this vaccine is complex, with different critical, but manageable timelines to be observed.

The vaccine must be stored at -70C and once a batch is defrosted, it must be administered within five days. Once a batch is defrosted, each vile in the batch must be diluted to create six individual doses, which in turn, must be administered within six hours.

“That’s one of the challenges around delivering this vaccine but there has been a huge amount of logistical planning around storage and preparation, and then contacting the healthcare staff to make sure they get a time slot,” Dr Murphy said.

“We will keep going this weekend until we get through the list. And as we get more vaccines, we will do more.” 

GP Susan Ahern getting the Covid-19 vaccine from Consultant Surgeon Mr Noel O’Brien at the South Infirmary Hospital, Cork. Included are Eimear McGuinness, pharmacist and clinical nurse manager Rachel Meany. Six hundred people were given the vaccine  Picture: Dan Linehan

Each person who receives a jab this weekend must remain on-site for 15 minutes for monitoring for rare but possible allergic reactions, and they will all be called back within three weeks for their second dose, to give them protection.

O’Leary Life arranged food and delivered it to the clinic volunteers today.

Cllr Des Cahill, a qualified financial advisor and business development manager with O’Leary Life, said they were happy to help.

“Everyone needs to look after each other and help out in any way they can. This was a small way that we could help and we were delighted to do so,” he said.

Earlier this week, the European Medicines Agency recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine - the second Covid-19 vaccine it has recommended for authorisation.

It is given as two injections into the arm, 28 days apart, but it does not require storage at ultra-low temperatures.

Earlier today, Kitty Owens, an 88-year-old resident at St Finbarr’s Community Hospital became the first resident of a residential facility in Cork to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Cork Kerry Community Healthcare vaccinators are carrying out vaccinations this weekend at St Finbarr’s in Cork city and Killarney Community Hospital in Kerry.

Rose O’Leary, a staff nurse at St Finbarr’s Community Hospital, was the first staff member to receive the vaccine there.

“It feels absolutely brilliant, at long last there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not over, but there is hope there now,” she said.