All over-70s vaccinated in Sneem after village gets unexpected delivery of 300 doses

Remaining doses of Moderna vaccine now being rolled out to people with underlying conditions in the Co Kerry town

'Sneem got a huge supply of Moderna. We took what we got,' retired GP Dr Paddy Malone said.

All residents over the age of 70 have been vaccinated in Sneem, Co Kerry, after hundreds of doses arrived unexpectedly last week.

The vaccination was rolled out with military precision after 300 doses of Moderna arrived unexpectedly, said Dr Paddy Malone, the village's retired GP, who assisted with the vaccination of 137 people on Saturday.

Sneem was "fortunate" in getting 300 doses of the Moderna vaccine, said Dr Malone. Other areas in the region getting the Pfizer vaccine got far less, he said.

Dr Malone, along with his wife, retired Dr Diane Foord, assisted under the direction of GP Dr Hernan Ganzo Alvarez  and the medical team.

“Sneem got a huge supply of Moderna. We took what we got.” Dr Malone said.

The remaining doses of the vaccine are now being rolled out to people with underlying conditions in Sneem.

Meanwhile, Dr Malone has criticised the bureaucracy surrounding his and other retired GPs' offer to assist at the large public vaccination centres.

A doctor with more than four decades of experience until he retired in 2017, Dr Malone said retired GPs were being forced to “jump through hoops” and are being asked to provide certificates of basic skills in order to be allowed administer vaccines at the new public vaccination centres.

Offers to the HSE to volunteer as vaccinators at the mass centres will not be accepted unless volunteers can prove they can perform “basic life support" and allergy recognition abilities and are being asked to prove how to treat severe acute allergy.

“This after 41 years in the practice of medicine,” Dr Malone said.

Along with Medical Council registration and other paperwork, “proof of BLS and Anaphylaxis Certification” was sought by the HSE, when he applied.

“My local working colleagues also think it’s absurd. They themselves don’t need to jump through these hoops as they vaccinate their own patients. So my wife and I are happy to help our local practices where our services are gratefully accepted,” Dr Malone said.

The HSE said it could not comment on individual cases but said there was no obstacle to the recruitment of retired professionals who may be classed as vaccinators.

It has this week re-launched the recruitment campaign for vaccinators to include dentists and optometrists.

More than 1,500 new vaccinators are needed “specifically geared to staff the larger vaccination centres”, the HSE also said.