Stephen Donnelly warns of potential ‘perfect storm’ of severe flu and wave of Covid-19 which may result in jabs taking place early to prepare for autumn and winter season when hospitals under strainNursing home sector is pushing the HSE to prepare for the rollout of influenza jabs and the next Covid-19 vaccine boosters to be carried out in tandem ahead of potential 'twindemic' this year.
“If there was to be a third booster dose, then we need to have the infrastructure ready to go. That is what we are talking to the HSE about, having a joint approach for the 600 nursing homes across the country,” said Tadhg Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland. The latest Covid-19 statistics suggest the summer wave may have peaked, with a decline in the number of new outbreaks and a reduction in the number of people in hospital with the virus.
While the number of outbreaks fell to 94 overall in the week ending July 16th, down from 116 the previous week, the number of new outbreaks in nursing homes rose to 39 from 27. There were 25 new hospital outbreaks notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, down from 30.
So you want to finish off the elderly
Jab a Granny.