Opinion

Most 'difficult' stage of vaccine rollout underway as cases spike and hospitals firefight

Walk-in vaccinations at facilities like the SSE Arena in Belfast are part of the final push in trying to attract over-18s to get jabs. Picture by Mal McCann
Walk-in vaccinations at facilities like the SSE Arena in Belfast are part of the final push in trying to attract over-18s to get jabs. Picture by Mal McCann Walk-in vaccinations at facilities like the SSE Arena in Belfast are part of the final push in trying to attract over-18s to get jabs. Picture by Mal McCann

TWO months ago, the head of Northern Ireland's vaccination programme outlined plans to get up to 95 per cent of the population jabbed with a first dose by the end of July.

In an interview with The Irish News, Patricia Donnelly said they had been "too modest" with their initial targets and were now moving at pace, months ahead of schedule.

The success of the vaccine rollout was largely linked to the 'can do' approach of Ms Donnelly as well as her army of support staff.

Despite her brilliant strategic planning - the north was the first to overcome the logistical nightmare of delivering Pfizer jabs to the care home sector last winter - the final hurdle in getting younger people jabbed has become a sticking point.

The correlation between low vaccine uptake rates in the under-40s and Covid hospital admissions is clear, with rising numbers of younger patients requiring hospital beds - something that didn't happen in previous waves.

Latest figures show that almost 44 per cent of 18 to 29 year-olds have not been jabbed at a time when pop-up clincs are opening up at GAA football matches, college campuses and town centres while the SSE Arena and other facilities are offering daily walk-in appointments.

It has now emerged that Northern Ireland has dramatically stalled in its uptake and is well behind England, Scotland and Wales, with almost 82 per cent adults receiving first jabs.

Warnings yesterday by the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific advisor about the impact of the "unvaccinated' 18 per cent comes as cases spike and hospitals firefight pressures normally experienced in winter - with A&E departments swamped over the past month.

Worst case scenarios of up to 8,000 daily cases and 1,000 hospital admissions by the middle of next month were also set out if the spread of the more infectious Delta variant is not curbed by increased vaccinations and infection control measures.

While hospital cases are nowhere near the levels of the horrific January surge despite similar numbers of cases, patient backlogs are at an all-time high while frontline staff are exhausted and demoralised.

Public messaging is vital and at a time health officials urge people to come forward for jabs in a "final push", scenes of crowds in England rammed into nightclubs is a difficult one to square for many 20-somethings.

In a recent interview, Ms Donnelly said they were now at the most "difficult" stage of the vaccine programme in trying to attract the final cohort of people to come forward.

As Stormont leaders meet tomorrow to discuss the latest lifting of restrictions - including compulsory mask wearing in churches - they will have an equally difficult task in getting the balance right ahead of another pressurised winter for both the NHS and society.