Covid-19 vaccine roll-out schedule for first phase in Offaly

The Covid-19 vaccine roll-out schedule for the first phase in Offaly has been revealed.

Gallen Priory in Ferbane has the honour of being the first in the county, and will receive it on Monday, January 11. It's expected all nursing homes will get it by February 28.

The following are the scheduled dates for the rolling out of the Covid-19 vaccines in Offaly Nursing Homes.

Gallen Priory Nursing Home, Ferbane - January 11, 2021

Ealga Lodge Nursing Lodge, Shinrone - January 12, 2021

Carthages Nursing Home, Mucklagh - January 18, 2021

Elmgrove House, Nursing Home, Birr - January 19, 2021

Birr Nursing Unit - January 20, 2021

Edenderry Community Nursing Unit - January 22, 2021

Riada House Community Unit - Tullamore, January 25, 2021

Eliza Lodge, Nursing Home, Banagher - January 26, 2021

Esker Ri Nursing Home, Clara - January 27, 2021

Oakdale Nursing Home, Portarlington - January 29 2021

The roll out of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid -19 vaccine which is the first to be approved in Ireland, began yesterday Tuesday December 29, at four acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland.

These were Beaumont and St James hospitals in Dublin and Cork and Galway university hospitals.

Annie Lynch, a 79 year-old woman from Dublin, became the first person in Ireland to be vaccinated. She got it yesterday at St James’s Hospital in Dublin 8, alongside healthcare workers from the hospital who were also vaccinated.10,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in the country on St Stephen's Day and some of the first doses were in hospitals by lunchtime on Monday.

The HSE says those most at risk will receive the vaccine first. Initially those aged 65 years or older who live in long-term care facilities as they are a greater risk of serious illness if they get Covid-19.

Frontline healthcare workers will also be among the early recipients.

The vaccine will be offered to more priority groups as soon as possible.

In the later phases of the programme that will focus on the next priority groups, people may be vaccinated through mass vaccination clinics, GP surgeries and community pharmacies.

People will know when it is their turn to get the vaccine through advertising and there is no need to contact the HSE.

Two doses of the vaccine will be required at least 21 days apart. Afterwards people will receive an aftercare advice leaflet and a vaccine record card. Your record will show the name and batch number of the vaccine you received. The vaccinator will ask if you have any allergies or have had an allergic reaction to previous vaccines.

The HSE point out that they only use a vaccine if it meets the required standards of safety and effectiveness.

''The Covid-19 vaccines have gone through all the usual steps needed to develop a safe and effective vaccine. But the work to develop them has moved much faster than usual. This is because they have gone through all their development phases at the same time, not one after the other. This was done to make them available as soon as possible,'' state the HSE.

Meanwhile the Covid-Tracker for Tuesday December 29 showed a 14 day incidence rate of confirmed Covid cases in Tullamore of 25 or 85.7 per 100,000 population.

The figure for Edenderry was 23 or 98.6 per 100,000 population.

Birr had a figure of 7 or 27.5 per 100,000 population