Northern Ireland

Covid vaccine programme chief wants 95 per cent of population to get first jab by July

With more than one million people receiving their first Covid jab in Northern Ireland, the woman overseeing the programme is aiming for 90 per cent of the population to be vaccinated by summer. Patricia Donnelly speaks to health correspondent Seanín Graham about the astonishing success of the rollout while insisting there is still much to be done. The 67-year-old has no plans to return to retirement any time soon.

Patricia Donnelly, Head of Covid-19 NI Vaccine Programme speaks to The Irish News on the day the Department of Health confirmed more than one million people have received their first jab. Picture by Mal McCann
Patricia Donnelly, Head of Covid-19 NI Vaccine Programme speaks to The Irish News on the day the Department of Health confirmed more than one million people have received their first jab. Picture by Mal McCann Patricia Donnelly, Head of Covid-19 NI Vaccine Programme speaks to The Irish News on the day the Department of Health confirmed more than one million people have received their first jab. Picture by Mal McCann

HOUSEHUNTING with her husband early last October, Patricia Donnelly received a telephone call in the middle of a viewing that would change her life.

The 67-year-old former clinical psychologist had just sold her own home and was convinced a six-month stint at the Department of Health advising on Covid projects was at an end, allowing her to "return to family life".

The caller that day was the north's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride, who said her "help was needed" managing a Covid-19 mass vaccination programme

"So I said okay, how soon do you want me and he replied 'straight away'. I abandoned my house viewing and said to my husband, I have to go and work."

Telling this story in a drab meeting room at Department of Health headquarters in Stormont, Ms Donnelly is practically fizzing with energy as she recalls the initial months at the helm of the project last autumn - when a vaccine was yet to be approved.

The extraordinary speed and slickness of the rollout - it is months ahead of target - has been attributed in large part to the retired Belfast woman, who says she didn't leave the NHS after 45 years "to do nothing" and will probably always work.

Her self-belief sits alongside a humility and warmth, with those working close to her saying her people skills and 'can do' attitude are central to the vaccine success story.

Yesterday was a significant marker for the programme as the north inches towards 70 per cent of the adult population receiving their first jab, with more than one million people now inoculated with an initial dose.

With the original uptake target already achieved, Ms Donnelly said she and her team are "more ambitious" about what they can achieve. She repeatedly refers to the "army" of people she works with and their desire to drive change.

"We were too modest at the beginning. We said that 70 per cent is good for any vaccination programme. But I’d like 90-95 per cent to receive a first dose by the end of July, that would be a significant achievement," she told The Irish News.

Patricia Donnelly, head of the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme at the SSE in Belfast Picture by Hugh Russell.
Patricia Donnelly, head of the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme at the SSE in Belfast Picture by Hugh Russell. Patricia Donnelly, head of the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme at the SSE in Belfast Picture by Hugh Russell.

"To get to 90 per cent, we probably need about 90,000 of the 30-39 year-olds - I know that’s a big number. But in terms of the programme, it’s not. We’re hitting over a million today."

As a new and potentially more transmissible Indian variant emerges, she also accepts the push for mass immunisation - particularly in younger age groups - is vital.

Thousands of over-18 were vaccinated in Bolton at the weekend - defying UK government guidelines which say people under 38 aren't eligible - where there has been a surge in the latest strain.

When asked if there were plans to vaccinate younger people in the the Derry/Strabane area due to a surge infection rates, Ms Donnelly confirmed the rollout to the under-30s was imminent.

"We’ve always wanted to get to this as quickly as possible, you will hear an announcement soon opening to the younger age group," she said,

"The problem is if there’s over 200,000 people in a cohorted group and we opened it to them all, the system would collapse. So it's easy to do half of them, for example the 25-29 year-olds, and then a few days or a week later call the rest.It's our intention is to open to all of them in very near future.

"For me it’s a single focus...there will always be variants. I am very single-minded about this. We just want to do this as fast as possible."

Confronted with the logistical challenge of delivering the Pfizer vaccine to care homes during the programme's first phase last December, Ms Donnelly said supplies of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca have been "steady" since then - but that they carefully control distribution of doses.

"We started very slowly during those first few weeks, that’s because we were vaccinating 480 plus care homes which needed a lot more resource due to medicines management and being safe...Pfizer required ultra-low temperatures and had a five-day shelf life, " she said.

"But yes, we've been ahead right from the start. Having said that, I spent my life apologising to people because everyone wants more vaccine because they believe they can do it well in centres, GPs and pharmacies.

"We also have mobile teams who are looking at areas where there is low uptake and vaccine hesitancy. We vaccinated some fishermen last week who were living communally.

"We don’t want people to take vaccine and store it because it’s a precious commodity. We allocate it practically before we receive it - we run very lean with very few reserves just to keep that driving pace going."

Ms Donnelly said however that given the spike in the Derry area, they were working with the Western health trust and its community pharmacies to ensure "they have as much vaccine as they can deploy".

With no plans to return to retirement - following her 25 years as a clinical pychlogist specialising in trauma and bereavement she successfully managed projects across the health service for two decades - the health chief said the end of vaccine programme "doesn't feel immediate".

"After July, the second doses are be completed. Then we have to think about the booster, which we are being told will be delivered in the autumn.

"At the moment we don’t what vaccine they’re going to use, we don’t know who is going to get it. It may just be those vulnerable and a single dose. " she added.

One thing she is looking forward to is the relaxation of lockdown restrictions and spending more time with her family.

SSE Arena smashes its target for week one of vaccines.Picrure by Hugh Russell.
SSE Arena smashes its target for week one of vaccines.Picrure by Hugh Russell. SSE Arena smashes its target for week one of vaccines.Picrure by Hugh Russell.

"I have a precious son, I have two wonderful grandsons and a wonderful daughter-in-law," she said.

"The plan for me was always to do some work after retiring, I’ll never stop doing that. I have family that I seen less of so I too am waiting for the easement of restrictions so that I can hug grandchildren and do all of those things.

"But I do feel what I am doing now contributes towards that future. Therefore I am contributing towards my own future as well as everyone else’s. You just don’t just it for yourself, you do it for your family, friends and community."