Abstract

Pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics for vulnerable groups in the Midlands

Part of Special Series: WONCA World Rural Health Conference Abstracts 2022go to url

AUTHORS

name here
Fiona O'Reilly
1 General Manager, Researcher *

name here
Mark McLoughlin
2 Covid Cluster Rapid Response Technician

name here
Douglas Hamilton
3 Specialist in Public Health Medicine

name here
Jimmy Todd
4 Community Development Officer

CORRESPONDENCE

*Dr Fiona O'Reilly

AFFILIATIONS

1, 2 Safetynet Primary Care, Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland

3 Department of Public Health, HSE Midlands, Ireland

4 Community Development Service, HSE Midlands, Tullamore, Offaly, Ireland

PUBLISHED

10 January 2023 Volume 23 Issue 1

HISTORY

RECEIVED: 20 September 2022

ACCEPTED: 20 September 2022

CITATION

O'Reilly F, McLoughlin M, Hamilton D, Todd J.  Pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics for vulnerable groups in the Midlands. Rural and Remote Health 2023; 23: 8161. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH8161

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSgo to url

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

go to urlCited by

no pdf available, use your browser's print function to create one


abstract:

Introduction: Roma, travellers and the homeless suffer from a higher risk of both COVID-19 infection and severe disease relative to the general population. The purpose of this project was to ensure as many members as possible from vulnerable groups in the Midlands availed of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods: Following on from successful testing of vulnerable populations in the Midlands of Ireland in March/April 2021, a collaboration of HSE Midland’s Department of Public Health, Safetynet Primary Care and the HSE Midlands Traveller Health Unit (MTHU) operated pop-up vaccination clinics in June/July 2021, targeting the same populations. Clinics delivered the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, registering clients for second doses in Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs).

Results: Thirteen clinics were hosted between 8 June 2021 and 20 July 2021, resulting in 890 first-dose Pfizer vaccinations delivered to vulnerable populations.

Discussion: Trust established months prior with our grassroots testing service resulted in strong vaccine uptake, with the quality service provided seeding further demand over time. This service integrated into the national system and allowed individuals to receive their second doses within the community.

You might also be interested in:

2020 - What factors shape doctors’ trustworthiness? Patients’ perspectives in the context of hypertension care in rural Tanzania

2015 - Quality assessment of primary care for common mental disorders in isolated communities: Taking advantage of health records

2015 - Healthcare costs and outcomes for pediatric inpatients with bronchiolitis: comparison of urban versus rural hospitals

This PDF has been produced for your convenience. Always refer to the live site https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/8161 for the Version of Record.