THE UL Hospitals Group have tonight confirmed that following the updated National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) guidance issued on Monday evening, April 12, the Covid-19 vaccination clinic scheduled for the Radisson Blu Hotel on Wednesday, April 14, has now been cancelled. The group have apologised for any inconvenience and said the approximately 600 people affected are being contacted directly.
In a statement received this evening, the group said, “Patients will be offered an alternative appointment as soon as possible. Approximately 1,200 people from Group 4 have had their appointments cancelled this Tuesday and Wednesday and, of these, we have identified just over 400 who are in the 60 to 69 age bracket.
“This group of patients are now being offered a vaccination appointment this Thursday, April 15, at the Radisson Blu Hotel. This is in line with the updated guidance from NIAC. We encourage this group of patients to respond to the text notification and to attend for their appointment on Thursday.”
The HSE had yesterday evening written to Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations to advise that all AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics planned for today, April 13, should be cancelled following receipt of updated guidance received from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, and the Department of Health, yesterday evening.
Today, a HSE statement further advised Hospital Groups and CHOs to cancel all AstraZeneca clinics, except those arranged for certain people over the age of 60, for the remainder of this week as they “work to reconfigure our rollout plans to take in to account the latest NIAC guidance.”
The statement went on to say, “Some clinics will be in a position to proceed with the vaccination of patients over the age of 60 this week, in line with the new guidance, and in these cases individuals will be contacted directly by their vaccination centre to arrange their appointment.
“Anybody who is due to attend an Astra Zeneca clinic, and who is not contacted directly in advance, is therefore advised not to attend.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.