merrion street

The Minister for Health is announcing an update on the COVID-19 vaccination programme for those who are housebound.

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has been working hard to process a high volume of referrals received for the programme. NAS is currently operating a seven-day service and is undertaking around 400 appointments per week (50-60 daily).

Minister Donnelly said: “I have spoken to the HSE and a dedicated system is now being put in place to ensure all those awaiting a vaccination at home will be contacted in the coming days. I would like to reassure individuals and their families who are still awaiting vaccination, the HSE will make direct contact with them and we will administer the vaccine within a 3-week period.

“In addition, the National Ambulance Service will double its capacity from next week in order to accelerate the delivery of vaccines. I want to thank the national ambulance service for their work on this part of the programme in the past number of weeks.” 

As with all elements of the vaccination programme, delivery of vaccination is contingent on supply and other factors. Among these is the requirement to spend over 30-40 minutes at each residence. In around 10% of cases visits can take up to 50 minutes due to medical histories which require a 30-minute observation period. As the people to be vaccinated are dispersed across the country it can also take Ambulance staff a considerable amount of time per visit to reach their destinations.

The completion of dose 1s as part of this programme is expected in May 2021, while dose 2 is expected to conclude in June 2021. There are currently a significant number of people who are fully triaged and awaiting their first dose vaccination. This figure has grown following a number of later referrals. So far, as part of this programme, the HSE has have offered over 1,800 appointments to people referred by their General Practitioner.

ENDS