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THE HSE has confirmed that sites in Tralee are being considered as a location for a mass vaccination centre, but the final decision on locating a centre in Tralee or anywhere else in Kerry will lie with the National Vaccination Committee.
Councillor Mikey Sheehy, Tralee MD, received a written response to emergency motions he tabled at both the Tralee MD meeting and the Kerry County Council’s January monthly meeting.
In the motion he asked that the local authority write to the Minister for Health, the HSE and the South South West Hospital Group to highlight that Tralee and Kerry could be an ideal site for one of the country’s 15 mass COVID19 vaccination centres.
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He said both are geographically well situated to allow for the efficient rollout of the vaccine in the South West and are well served by University Hospital Kerry.
Cllr. Sheehy has argued that the county is ideally located to serve the South West of the country as a mass vaccination centre.
“I feel that Kerry is ideally located geographically to lead the vaccination of the South West in a coordinated programme that will see local GPs and Pharmacies joining the effort on the ground. I firmly believe that Kerry both needs this centre and has the capacity to facilitate it. We have multiple sites in Tralee and beyond that are perfectly suited.”
The HSE response was given by Gerry O Dwyer, group CEO of the South South West Hospital Group. It states that sites in Tralee and Kerry are being considered for such a centre and that the decision now lies with the National Vaccination Committee.
Cllr Sheehy said; “While I welcome the response I feel that swift action is required. Clarity and decisiveness are key in battling COVID19.”
