Covid-19 figures 'chilling' says Cork GP who established drive-through flu vaccine clinic
Giving Ireland’s Dr Linehan The Sean Mccarthy Midleton, Clinic Vaccine Vaccine Cork Park, At Flu Market To The Tait Green Picture: Flu Through Dan First At Retail Co Sue Drive
Ireland's first formal drive-through flu vaccine clinic opened in Cork this weekend as the number of Covid cases in Ireland soared.
Cork GP Dr Mike Thompson established the clinic in the hope that getting large numbers of people vaccinated against the flu in a quick, safe and convenient way will ease the pressure faced by the health service over the winter months.
Dr Thompson said that last winter had been "pretty hellish" even though there was not a particularly bad flu outbreak and there was no coronavirus to contend with.
Any steps that can be taken to relieve pressure on hospitals and GPs will be welcome as the country enters an uncertain winter.
On Saturday, it was announced that a further 1,012 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed and there have been three more Covid-related deaths.
As of 2pm this Saturday, 199 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 31 are in ICU.
Cork accounts for 112 of today's cases.
Dr Thompson commented that the figures released were "chilling".
He said the figures would continue to rise for about a week before they begin to decline as we start to see the result of the newly introduced restrictions.
"We are all fatigued. Of course we are, we are only human."
Dr Thompson said that the stark figures are a reminder to us all to double-down on our efforts and to keep doing the best that we can.
One thing that people can do - aside from following the public health guidelines - is to get the seasonal flu vaccine. However, there are concerns about the supply this year as there is unprecedented demand.
The drive-through clinic set up by Dr Thompson, with the help of the army who erected a large marquee, was booked-out on Saturday.
Dr Thompson and three colleagues delivered all the vaccines they had available at the Midleton clinic.
A number of children received their vaccines but it was all smiles as there is no needle for them. Children aged between two and 12 are advised to get the vaccine which is administered via a nasal spray.
Even though appointments are pre-booked online, Dr Thompson said they had a number of people arrive in the hopes of getting vaccinated.
The GP estimates they had to turn away 112 people who arrived without a pre-booked appointment because the vaccines available to them had already been taken.
It was initially hoped the clinic would run every weekend for a total of eight weeks but since the supply is not there this will not be the case.
The next clinic will be held on Saturday, October 31 and then depending on the availability of supplies another one will be held in mid-November.
Dr Thompson said that it is extremely hard to plan ahead as they are unsure how many vaccinations will be made available to them.
The clinic, if it had the required number of vaccinations, is capable of delivering 600 vaccines a day.
If this could be done over eight weekends then that would mean 4,800 people in the area would be vaccinated from the flu.
By administering the vaccine in a condensed clinic such as this, it means that fewer people will be attending their local GP to get the flu jab which frees up those appointments for other patients.
Dr Thompson said that many GPs around the country are doing clinics out-of-hours and most are keen to undertake such clinics.
Despite the current supply shortage, Dr Thompson is confident that those who really need the flu jab will receive it this year.
The HSE stock has been ringfenced for more vulnerable patients: the over 65s; pregnant women; all healthcare workers, including administrative staff; those with long-term illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma; children aged 2-12; and those in close contact with someone with a long-term condition.
According to Dr Thompson there has been less flu in the southern hemisphere this year.
As people continue to practice social distancing and proper handwashing and coughing/sneezing etiquette, it is hoped that this will also provide some protection against the spread of flu this year.