79-year-old Annie Lynch has become the first person to receive the Covid vaccine in Ireland.
Annie hails from The Liberties in Dublin and has ten grandchildren.
Chief Clinical Officer for the HSE Dr Colm Henry tweeted a photo of Annie receiving the vaccination, writing, “CNM Deborah Cross administers first vaccine in Ireland to the inspirational Annie Lynch from the Liberties in St James’s Hospital today. Céim mór chun tosaigh.”
The vaccine will be administered in four hospitals around the country today: Beaumont and St James’s hospitals in Dublin, Cork University Hospital, and University Hospital Galway.
Chair of the Covid Vaccine Task Force Professor Brian MacCraith told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that other people who will receive the vaccine today include “ICU nurse, a junior doctor, a Covid ward nurse and an allied health professional”.
He also said it’s “very possible we will complete all vaccinations of nursing homes by February”.
MacCraith also explained how they hope to be receiving just over 40,000 vaccine doses per week for the weeks throughout January and February.
10,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine arrived in Ireland on Saturday.
Celebrating the arrival, Simon Harris wrote on Twitter, “An important day. A milestone in this painful #Covid19 story. But it is crucial that we keep each other safe & well as this vaccine programme gets underway. It needs time. Our collective effort now: keep each other alive & well to get the vaccine. Help is on the way.”
Elderly residents in nursing homes or other long-term residential care facilities and frontline health workers are at the top of the list of priority.
After people who fit the above description are vaccinated, the next step is to vaccinate people aged 70 and over.
Those getting vaccinated will be required to register online or by phone and will be given a scheduled appointment.
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