100,000 vaccines administered by Community Vaccination Team at the Helix, DCU

There were scenes of celebration at the Community Vaccination Centre at the Helix Theatre, DCU today where the Communication Vaccination team have administered 100,000 vaccinations.

This is in addition to over 20,000 vaccinations, which were administered by GPs at a series of successful vaccination clinics held at the Helix Theatre, DCU.

Celebrating 100,000 vaccines administered by Community Vaccination Team at the Helix, DCU today 9 June 2021
Photographed from Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City and County: Mellany McLoone, Chief Officer; Fiacra McGuirk, General Manager Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing ,Eileen Kelly, Principal Clinical Lead and Tom O Brien, Head of Primary Care;

The Helix Theatre, DCU is one of two Community Vaccination Centres currently operating in the Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City and County (CHO DNCC) area.

In attendance to witness the milestone were CHO DNCC Chief Officer Mellany McLoone, Head of Primary Care, Tom O’Brien and Fiacra McGuirk, General Manager Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing, as well as nursing, medical, IT, administrative and security colleagues.

Ann Hughes from Balbriggan was delighted to receive her first dose of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine from vaccinator Margaret McDonald at the Helix.

Approximately 3,000 people are expected to receive their vaccines at the Community Vaccination Centre today.

Speaking after receiving her vaccination, Ann, who is the Health and Safety Manager at the Convention Centre Dublin, said: “I am delighted to get my vaccine today and to see that we are progressing so well as a country. It was very efficient here today with very friendly staff.”

Now that she is in the way to full vaccination, Ann is looking forward to socialising and travelling with a trip to Spain on top of her list.

Operating since February 2021, staff from CHO DNCC, HSE Estates and The Helix have transformed the Helix Theatre at DCU into a Community Vaccination Centre, containing 48 booths and operating on a seven-day basis.

Registration for vaccines is currently open for people aged 40 and over.

You can register online at vaccine.hse.ie. You will need your PPS Number, Eircode, mobile phone number and email address. #forusall.

Chief Officer Mellany McLoone said: “This is a fantastic milestone to have reached and a credit to everyone involved in the running of the vaccination centre at the Helix. The success of the vaccination programme is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff.”

“While the vaccines are playing a key role in protecting our population against Covid-19, I encourage everyone to continue to abide by the public health guidelines as even when vaccinated, we must follow these measures in order to protect others. I look forward to seeing such high volumes of people across the remaining age groups and cohorts coming forward to get their vaccine in the weeks and months ahead.”

CHO DNCC Head of Primary Care Tom O’Brien said: “This is a significant achievement to have reached this figure. It has been a huge logistical operation to get our vaccination centres up and running and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment of our staff.”

“I also thank DCU for facilitating the vaccination centre at the Helix and for all of their assistance over the past number of months.”

General Manager Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing Fiacra McGuirk said: “Over the past four months, we have witnessed great scenes of joy and relief as people come along to receive their vaccines. It has been heartening to see such high numbers come through the doors across all age cohorts so far, and I looking forward to rolling out this important public health vaccination programme across the remaining age groups and cohorts.”