College has begun its on-campus vaccination programme today, beginning with students and staff with very high-risk medical conditions.
The vaccines arrived on campus today, with another set of Pfizer vaccines set to arrive on May 10th for the remaining very-high risk staff and students, as well as those with high-risk medical conditions.
There are 56 staff and students with very high-risk medical conditions – who are in group 4a of the vaccine rollout plan – and approximately 500 in the high risk category, called group seven.
The two groups include patients with certain levels of diabetes, obesity, chronic respiratory diseases, severe mental health illnesses, chronic respiratory diseases, COPD, chronic heart and vascular diseases, immunocompromised patients and patients with cancers or chronic kidney, liver or neurological diseases.
In a press statement, Dr David McGrath, medical director of the College Health Service, said: “This is a positive day for Trinity with the first delivery of Pfizer vaccines from the HSE.”
“It is great to know that we can administer them to the medically vulnerable students and staff in our College community.”
“We have completed the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to our older patients in The Helix and can now concentrate on younger people, in the 18-59-year bracket with medical conditions who need the vaccines the most.”
“This onsite vaccination is part of the next step we are taking to combat COVID-19, working within Government policy and the framework that the HSE has given”, he added.
“Trinity has been very proactive in its efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The College Health Service has been operating an HSE testing service for symptomatic people or close contacts of confirmed cases since September 2020 and the Triniscreen pilot of free weekly screening tests on a voluntary basis is available to residents and key groups of staff.”
McGrath emailed staff and students on April 19th requesting those who are in the two groups to register for a vaccine.
Staff and students can still register, if they follow this link.
The Trini-screen pilot scheme – a coronavirus screening service – is currently available to residents of Trinity accommodation and key groups of staff.
