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'Glitch in the system': West Waterford residents getting vaccine appointments in Killarney

'Glitch in the system': West Waterford residents getting vaccine appointments in Killarney

A WATERFORD councillor has said a "glitch in the system" is leading to a situation where some residents of West Waterford are getting vaccine appointments for Killarney, Co Kerry.

John Pratt, a Labour councillor based in Tallow, said the glitch seems to relate to the postcode and proximity of villages like Tallow to Mallow in Cork.

If there isn't availability for appointments in Mallow, the system seems to be directing to the next biggest mass vaccination centre in Killarney, he said, and that is where the issue is arising.

John Pratt got his own appointment for Killarney and said some people from areas such as Tallow and Ballyduff Upper are just happy to get an appointment and willing to travel.

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But he told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today this morning, that the travelling is certainly problematic for people who can't drive or do a long distant journey, and it's far from ideal.

"It's definitely a glitch in the system, it shouldn't be happening," he said.

"If people can't travel, it shouldn't prohibit them from getting the vaccine," he added, saying that anyone who had got Killarney appointments and genuinely couldn't go there could get in touch with and he'd follow up with the HSE.

He said that despite current problems with HSE systems due to the ransomware attack, he had been able to make some representations on the matter.

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Anyone who had cancelled appointments for Killarney was advised to re-schedule as soon as possible.

And he also said he'd got assurances that anyone who had received their first dose of the vaccine already could arrange their second dose at a different centre if it was more suitable.

You can listen back to Cllr John Pratt on Deise Today this morning, by clicking below here...

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