Covid 19 Vaccine Roll-out in Ireland

The COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland is part of the major COVID-19 pandemic caused by coronavirus 2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome) (SARS-CoV-2). The virus arrived in the country in late February 2020, and cases were confirmed in all counties within three weeks. Many facets of life were influenced by the pandemic. On March 12, 2020, the government closed all classrooms, universities, childcare centers, and cultural institutions. Both major events were canceled, including the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for the second year in a row. Almost all shops, locations, and services were closed on March 24, 2020, and the first stay-at-home order was issued on March 27, prohibiting all non-essential travel and communication with other citizens. Isolating was advised for the aged and those suffering from such diseases. People were taught to keep their distance in public. To combat the virus’s spread, the Oireachtas passed an emergency act granting the state the authority to arrest people, ban transport, and hold people in their homes. The next week, another emergency law was signed. The Garda Sochána was granted authority to execute the lockout, which had been repeatedly extended till-date.

The first shipment of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived on St Stephen’s Day, and vaccines began on December 29. For the first time in February 2021, the government placed testing and quarantine requirements on all incoming travelers. The number of serious cases dropped dramatically, and schools reopened in March. Since COVID-19 became a notifiable disease on February 20, 2020, the monitoring of COVID-19 reports has been incorporated into the current national Computerized Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) scheme. CIDR is the database system that manages both provincial and national monitoring and control of infectious diseases in Ireland. On December 29, 2020, COVID-19 vaccine started in the Republic of Ireland. At St. James’s Hospital in Dublin, Annie Lynch, 79, became the first female in the Republic of Ireland to undergo the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and she received the second dose three weeks later on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

On 5 January 2021, Maura Byrne, 95, became the first nursing home resident in the Republic of Ireland to receive the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, while Dr Eavan Muldoon, an infectious diseases specialist, became the first healthcare worker in the Mater University Hospital to receive the vaccine. At the end of January, Ireland had three safe vaccines from Pfizer–BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford–AstraZeneca. On March 6, 2021, Ireland passed the half-million COVID-19 vaccines administered mark.

Following fears about severe blood clots in Norway, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was discontinued in Ireland on March 14 as a precautionary measure. On April 8, Ireland passed the one million COVID-19 vaccines administered mark. 863,958 individuals had received their first dose of vaccine and 355,529 had received their second dose as of April 19, 2021, with a total of 1,219,487 vaccinations administered. To learn about how to register for the vaccine visit the HSE website. People are advised to get the vaccine so that we can all return to our normal lives.  COVID-19 vaccines provide defense against the virus. If you contract COVID-19 after vaccine, you should be safe from the virus’s potentially fatal disease. By rule, you are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no cost to have the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s completely open. You won’t be around to get it on your own. To learn about how to get your vaccine in Ireland click here.