Army medics set to help NI’s vaccine rollout
100 defence medics are due to arrive at the end of the month
The Department of Health’s request for more military support to assist in the vaccine rollout across Northern Ireland has today (Friday) been approved by the UK Government.
Ben Wallace, the UK’s Defence Secretary, said he has approved the deployment of 100 defence medics who will arrive at the end of the month.
It comes shortly after military medics who were deployed here to help in the war on covid, were sent back to their posts again.
He said: “Our Armed Forces are once again stepping up to support the UK's response to the pandemic, working around the clock to protect our people in all four corners of the nation.”
Military medical personnel have previously supported front line healthcare staff and were deployed here to help hospitals who were struggling with the post-Christmas Covid-19 surge in January 2021.
However, since hospital admissions and infection rates declined those who worked as senior nursing assistants, were withdrawn last month.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis has also welcomed the news that the army will again offer its support.
He said: “As we continue the mass COVID 19 vaccination rollout across the UK, I'm pleased medically-trained personnel from our Armed Forces will support health and social care teams in the delivery of this unprecedented programme across Northern Ireland.”
The announcement comes after NI’s Health Minister, Robin Swann, said the Covid-19 vaccination programme is due to be accelerated in the coming weeks.
He spoke ahead of one of the largest deliveries of the AstraZeneca Coronavirus vaccine.
During a visit to the vaccination centre at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, he praised the success of the rollout.
Mr Swann also revealed some of the regional vaccination centres are being moved from Pfizer to AstraZeneca due to the imminent delivery.
He said: "Because of the size of this delivery, it will actually be two separate batches, one has a use-by date of the end of this month but with the numbers we are putting through now on a daily basis, we'll be able to manage that, it will be a challenge but we have logistics now in place to be able to cope with those large numbers.”
Mr Swann said the initial programme is "being stepped forward by a matter of weeks at each step."
He added: "When we see the size of this delivery and actually have it here in Northern Ireland, we could be looking at the possibility of moving to a next stage along the programme, another age cohort being called forward sometime soon.”
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