Renewed call for people to be vaccinated in Louth as hospitalisations rise nationwide

Health and public authorities in Louth have urged people in Louth who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 to get the jab to improve uptake across the county.

The Public Health Department North East, Louth County Council and Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare have issued the call, saying that further vaccination in the area will strengthen public health.

"Those who are currently eligible for vaccines but remain unvaccinated are at risk of becoming seriously ill. In order to protect yourself and prevent the spread, it is important that you get vaccinated," said Dr Augustine Pereira, Director of Public Health North East.

"The work to improve vaccine uptake needs to continue. We must leave no stone unturned. No one should be left behind because they haven’t had the support they need to make an informed decision to get vaccinated."

The call for further vaccination comes as hospitalisations and cases of Covid-19 in ICU have increased in recent days, casting doubt over a full removal of Covid-19 restrictions on Friday October 22nd.

As of 8pm last night, there are 455 people in hospital with Covid-19. Of these, there are 23 patients with Covid-19 receiving treatment in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, according to the HSE's Daily Operations Update.

In Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda, there are currently four patients receiving treatment for Covid-19 in an intensive care unit.

There is currently only one ICU bed available in Our Lady of Lourdes, as of 10:30pm last night.

A joint message from @PublicHealth_NE @MLMCommHealth @louthcoco @meathcoco 'We are urging people to come forward to get their COVID-19 vaccine to improve vaccination uptake in the region'.https://t.co/cyR3mmeJ8I#Vaccination #Covid19 #Louth #Meath #ForUsAll@HSELive pic.twitter.com/uNxCG67Ri3

— Louth County Council (@louthcoco) October 19, 2021

"COVID-19 can have serious, long-term or life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you," said Fiona Murphy, Head of Service for Health and Wellbeing in Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare.

"If you get infected, you could spread the disease to family, friends and others around you. Getting vaccinated is a much safer way to build protection than getting the virus.”

Ms Murphy encouraged people to visit either a walk-in vaccination clinic when they operate, or to book an appointment for vaccination on hse.ie

The call also comes as the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has approved booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine for anyone over the age of 60, six months after they received their second jab.

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