College Health Centre set to administer onsite vaccinations

Posted on: 27 April 2021

The first COVID-19 vaccines have arrived at the College Health Centre. Vaccinations will start to be administered today for Trinity students and staff (56) with very high risk medical conditions as per the COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Plan (Cohort 4a, aged 18-59 years).

The balance of the Pfizer vaccines are due to arrive on 10 May for the remaining Group 4 recipients and vaccines are scheduled to arrive for Group 7 patients (approximately 500) following this.

Group 4 and Group 7 include patients with certain levels of diabetes, obesity, chronic respiratory disease, severe mental health illness, chronic respiratory disease, COPD, chronic heart (and vascular) disease, immunocompromised patients, and patients with cancers, chronic kidney / liver / neurological disease who are not already vaccinated. (NB please see below for exact criteria).

Dr David McGrath, Medical Director of the College Health Service said:

“This is a positive day for Trinity with the first delivery of Pfizer vaccines from the HSE. It is great to know that we can administer them to the medically vulnerable students and staff in our College community. We have completed the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to our older patients in The Helix and can now concentrate on younger people, in the 18-59-year bracket with medical conditions who need the vaccines the most”.

“This onsite vaccination is part of the next step we are taking to combat COVID-19, working within Government policy and the framework that the HSE has given. Trinity has been very proactive in its efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The College Health Service has been operating a HSE testing service for symptomatic people or close contacts of confirmed cases since September 2020 and the Triniscreen pilot of free weekly screening tests on a voluntary basis is available to residents and key groups of staff”.

Eligible Trinity staff and students with medical conditions applied to be vaccinated following an email invitation from the Medical Director of the College Health Service on 19 April, please see here.

Category 4a and Category 7 in the COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Plan 

Cohort 4 Age 18-59

• Patients with Diabetes with HbA1c>58mmol in last 12 months
• Patients with Obesity – BMI >40
• Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease – on home oxygen or hospitalized in past 12 months
• Mental Health Services to identify and vaccinate patients with severe mental health illness.

Cohort 7 Aged 18-59 

• Diabetes – all other patients with diabetes Type 1 and 2 Patients with Obesity – BMI>35
• Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease includes severe asthma
• Patients with moderately severe COPD
• Patients with Chronic Heart (and vascular) Disease – patients on medication/treatment for heart failure or on hypertensive medication, diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease or history of vascular surgery
• Immunocompromised Patients
• Patients with Cancers who are not already vaccinated
• Patients with Chronic Kidney / Liver / Neurological Disease who are not already vaccinated
• Patients with Severe Mental Illness.