More than 9,000 Covid jabs administered to UL Group staff

5,631 healthcare workers across the group's hospitals have received at least one dose of the vaccine 

Staff Nurse Eunice Kenny, from Castlemahon, County Limerick.

More than 9,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to staff across the University of Limerick Hospitals Group.

The UL hospital group, which covers UHL, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals, the maternity hospital, St John's Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital, has confirmed that 5,631 healthcare workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine since its programme began on January 4.

Some 3,700 staff members have received their second dose.

Frontline staff working for Public Health MidWest, the National Ambulance Service and Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons are also included in the figures, alongside residents and staff in residential care settings and nursing homes across the MidWest.

One of those who received her first dose after the recommencement of first dose vaccination clinics at UHL on Wednesday, coinciding with the first delivery to the hospital of the AstraZeneca vaccine, was Staff Nurse Eunice Kenny, from Castlemahon, County Limerick.

Ms Kenny said getting the vaccine was a "relief" for all of the staff who had been waiting "so long."

"It makes us all feel that bit safer and it will help keep our patients safer as well.”

Ms Margaret Gleeson, Chief Director of Nursing and Midwifery, UL Hospitals Group, said: “We are very proud to be part the vaccination programme in our long-term care facilities. As work in these settings nears conclusion in the MidWest and around the country, there is a renewed national focus on vaccinating frontline healthcare workers."

"We are delighted to have recommenced this work this week with a small initial delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine. We expect further deliveries over the next two weeks and while supply will continue to be a limiting factor, we are pleased to now accelerate the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers across all of our sites to afford that extra assurance to patients and staff.”