100 gardaí receive 'standby' Covid jabs in Limerick vaccination centre

A spokesperson for the HSE confirmed the vaccines were given to gardaí to ensure the surplus was 'not wasted'

The jabs were offered to local Garda management as part of the 'standby lists' developed at each vaccination centre in line with national guidance on cohorts and sequencing.

About 100 gardaí received Covid-19 vaccines at a vaccination centre at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Ennis Road, on the outskirts of Limerick city earlier this week.

The jabs were offered to local Garda management as part of the "standby lists" developed at each vaccination centre in line with national guidance on cohorts and sequencing.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the HSE and the UL Hospitals Group said: "The national guidance on cohorts and sequencing requires each vaccination centre to develop such standby lists, in an effort to ensure that surplus vaccines left at the end of a day’s scheduled vaccinations are not wasted."

They said the lists include gardaí and category 4 patients, those who are at a very high risk of serious illness.

According to the spokesperson, advance notice was given to local gardaí in an effort to identify members who could be available to receive the vaccination.

"There is a short window (sometimes less than one hour), of opportunity to administer the vaccines to avoid wastage, prior notification to standby lists is essential to ensure the full use of vaccines. "

The vaccines for this particular centre are shipped from the national cold chain and stored in the pharmacy at University Hospital Limerick before being divided into daily deliveries to the vaccination centre, with numbers based on bookings and expected attendance.

Unused vaccines would not have met quality standards if they were transported back to cold storage in the pharmacy and the standby list system was developed to make full use of these leftover vaccines.

Frustration

Frustration has been evident among Garda unions following changes made to the national vaccination rollout plans earlier in the week.

The revised plan will see vaccine doses administered based on a person's age, with their occupation no longer a factor in the programme.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has criticised the decision, saying members were "infuriated and dismayed" by the changes.

Frank Thornton, president of the GRA, said the decision "lacks logic, consultation and transparency" and claimed it ignored the risks posed to gardaí as frontline workers.

He said Garda morale was "on the floor" since the announcement.

The jabs were offered to local Garda management as part of the "standby lists" developed at each vaccination centre in line with national guidance on cohorts and sequencing.

Garda morale was "on the floor" since the announcement.

The GRA has requested a meeting with the National Immunisation Advisory Committee "so they can understand the thought process and scientific reasoning" behind the decision.