Covid-19: 5,000 residents in long-term care not yet fully vaccinated

The HSE has moved to clarify that the number of residents in long-term care who have yet to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is about 5,000 and not the 30,000 it suggested in a letter sent to a TD this week.

In response to a parliamentary question from Aontú leader and TD Peadar Tóibín asking for the date on which residents in nursing homes were fully vaccinated, the HSE said tens of thousands of doses were still outstanding.

The letter dated March 25th, said that as of March 21st, 107,168 of the over-65s in long-term residential care had received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine while 77,056 had been given two doses.

The letter said the vaccine rollout in care homes would continue in the days ahead.

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It subsequently emerged that the information contained in the letter written to the Meath West TD was based on outdated information and included both residents in long-term care as well as staff.

The HSE said the actual number of residents who have not yet been fully vaccinated is about 5,000.

All told around 97,000 residents have had at least one dose of a vaccine while 81,365 have got two leaving a remainder of just under 16,000 which consists of resident as well as 11,000 staff.

A spokesman for the HSE said that a further 3,000 residents were due to get their second vaccine dose next week.

In a statement on Friday night, a HSE spokeswoman said the vaccination of people in Cohort 1 started in early January with the first round of vaccinations completed on January 24th.

She said people who were unable to receive the vaccine originally are being vaccinated through mop-up processes “either when other residents/staff at the same facility are receiving their dose 2 vaccinations, during extra visits to the (facility) or at vaccination hubs managed by the HSE”.