Vaccination appointments error an issue at Drogheda centre

More than a fifth of people did not attend Covid-19 vaccine appointments in Drogheda on Tuesday of this week, as large numbers of those booked in had already been vaccinated.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) said it was not initially clear why such a large number of people who already had received Covid-19 vaccines were booked in to receive doses this week.

In total, 412 people had appointments to receive vaccines at a Co Louth mass vaccination centre, at Drogheda Institute of Further Education on Tuesday.

More than a fifth of those, some 89 people, did not attend their vaccination appointment on the day.

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A HSE spokesman said 323 people did receive their vaccinations at the centre on May 18th.

The majority of the people who did not attend their Covid-19 vaccine appointments on the day had already received vaccines, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said there was “no indication yet” as to why people who had been vaccinated were allocated further appointments.

Ged Nash, Labour Party Louth TD, said he had heard of numerous cases where constituents had been vaccinated but then, weeks later, received texts from the HSE instructing them to attend appointments for their first doses.

“The HSE needs to make a clear statement explaining why there appears to be a high number of no-shows at the [Drogheda] centre,” he said.

“I have been inundated this week with constituents in their 50s who registered on the portal some time ago and are frustrated that they have yet to be called,” he said.

The health service did not appear to be linking up information on cases where people had registered via the HSE online portal, but were then vaccinated via other routes as they were medically vulnerable, he said.

Previously, in late March, there were more than 500 no shows at the Citywest vaccination centre in west Dublin, as appointments for healthcare workers were double booked at two vaccination centres.