By Rebecca Black, PA
The first coronavirus vaccinations are set to take place in Northern Ireland.
The Pfizer/BioNTech dose will be administered at 8am at a mass vaccination centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
The recipient will be one of an 800-plus team of vaccinators that will be involved in the subsequent rollout programme.
Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann described it as a “hugely important day” but cautioned the full programme will take months to deliver.
Healthcare workers across the region will be able to get the vaccine through the remainder of December at seven centres spread across the region.
On Monday, Mr Swann announced care home residents will also be prioritised in the first phase.
He said deployment of the vaccine to care homes will proceed in the coming days.
Health Minister Robin Swann confirms that care home residents will be prioritised in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.https://t.co/U89rIEifxW pic.twitter.com/EPV2NHDnuH
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) December 7, 2020
The minister said officials have been working on the logistical requirements for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and reached a solution involving mobile teams operating from the different trust vaccination centres.
“We are currently considering how these arrangements might be extended to include over-80s in the community,” Mr Swann added.
Stocks of coronavirus vaccine arrived in Northern Ireland on Friday.
There are 25,000 doses in the initial batch of the vaccine.
The stocks have been taken to a central storage facility operated by a private company. The location is not being disclosed.
Two of the facilities are located on hospital grounds – at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald and Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital – and the rest in leisure centres.
The centres will operate 12 hours a day and seven days a week.
