Coronavirus vaccine: Belfast care home residents receive Covid-19 jab
Coronavirus vaccine: Belfast care home residents receive Covid-19 jab
By Marie-Louise Connolly
BBC News NI Health Correspondent
Covid-19 vaccinations are under way at a Belfast care home, as the rollout of the vaccine continues.
It is hoped more than 60 staff and residents at Bradley Manor in north Belfast will receive the injection on Wednesday.
Some of those administering the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine were only given it on Tuesday.
Bradley Manor is a purpose-built dementia care home on the Crumlin Road providing 24-hour care to older people.
Dr Seamus O'Brien, who normally works in clinical research and is managing today's roll out of the vaccine, said he was "excited and delighted" to be part of it.
It comes as the Department of Health recorded another 12 Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland.
It brings the total number of deaths to 1,085. A further 483 people have also tested positive for the virus.
Hospital outbreak
Meanwhile a coronavirus outbreak at Antrim Area Hospital was confirmed on Wednesday.
Fifteen patients and five members of staff in the Cardiology Ward and Coronary Care Unit have been affected by the outbreak.
The Northern Trust says control measures are in place.
In a statement, the trust said: "This is something the trust has had to become accustomed to but it does add to the complexity of providing acute services during a pandemic and particularly during sustained surges."
The first Covid-19 vaccination in Northern Ireland was administered on Tuesday to Sister Joanna Sloan, who will manage the Belfast Trust's vaccination centre.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is one of a number that have been developed so far, with Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna seeking approval for their vaccines.
Health Minister Robin Swann hailed the vaccination rollout as a "game changer".
Once delivered, it can be kept for up to five days in a fridge.
Stocks of the vaccine were transported to Northern Ireland via the Republic of Ireland, having arrived into Dublin port from Holyhead.
They are being kept at an undisclosed central storage facility operated by a private company.
The UK will be the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use last week. About 25,000 doses were delivered to Northern Ireland last Friday.
Vaccination will not be compulsory. Ministers have warned it could be Easter by the time restrictions are lifted in a significant way.
The vaccine will be rolled out at seven sites across Northern Ireland:
- Belfast Trust - Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
- South Eastern Trust - Ulster Hospital, Dundonald
- Southern Trust - South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon
- Northern Trust - Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena
- Western Trust - Foyle Arena, Londonderry, Omagh Leisure Centre and Lakeside Leisure Centre, Enniskillen.
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