Vaccine taskforce to target low-take up areas in Kilkenny
The Government’s vaccine taskforce is analysing areas in Kilkenny where there is a low take up, especially among young people, as part of a national plan to vaccinate the population.
Professor Brian MacCraith, who heads up the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine programme, said a county-by-county plan is being drawn up to target areas where take-up is low.
He revealed the Health Service Executive (HSE) is now embarking on a plan to identify pockets of vaccine hesitate groups as the inoculation programme reaches its final stages.
Prof MacCraith said the HSE is working with the CSO to map out where the vaccines are needed.
He told the Irish Independent: ‘We are in the final furlong so to speak. Our colleagues in the HSE are working with the CSO to look at it as best they can at a more granular level.
‘Are there gender or geographical effects or socio-economic factors?”
Figures for confirmed Covid cases for the past fortnight show the the 25-34-year-old age group and those aged 13 to 18 had high levels of infection, but it is very low among the over-65s.
