Covid-19: Rapid vaccine call to curb Donegal infections

Donegal's infection rate has been persistently higher than the rest of the country

There have been calls for a ramping up of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to curb a spike in infection rates in County Donegal.

It follows a virtual meeting between health officials and local politicians on Saturday.

Donegal currently has the highest rate of Covid-19 in the Irish Republic.

Sinn Féin TD Padraig MacLochlainn said the rollout of the vaccine in the county is not happening quickly enough.

"We have had a slow pace of vaccine roll out, we don't have enough localised vaccine centres or vaccinators, we are not using pharmacists, for example, as we should be," he told BBC Radio Foyle.

There are "big challenges in the weeks ahead" for the government and for health authorities, he added.

Mr MacLochlainn said while the majority of people in the county had adhered to the pubic health guidance, there is "an issue with a small minority of our people".

On Friday, Dr Tony Holohan, the Irish chief medical officer, warned of the county's persistently high infection rates.

Speaking at a department of health briefing, he said there were "clear examples of non-compliance across many parts of society. It is a concerning level of compliance compared to the rest of the country."

The rate of infection in the county is currently almost 300 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 127 nationally.

It is particularly high in the Letterkenny and Milford electoral areas of the county.

A pop-up test centre will open in Milford this week and a public health media campaign has been launched in the county as part of measures to curb the rate of infection.

Community groups, including the GAA, will encourage young people to adhere to the public health guidance.

Dr Denis McCauley, chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation's GP sub-committee, said the current rate of Covid-19 was "very much a concern".

Thousands of people cross between Northern Ireland and Donegal daily

"I think the border does have an effect here. I think that the good effect of Donegal people is at times diluted when there is a high incidence say in Derry," Dr McCauley said.

"Then when the behaviour of people in Donegal is not as good as it should be, it is exaggerated when there is relative outbreak in Derry".

The Irish government has announced a phased relaxation of its strict Covid-19 lockdown over the next six weeks.

Mayor of Buncrana Rena Donaghey said Saturday's meeting had been "constructive and positive".

She said a localised lockdown was not the answer.

"We did have very high numbers back in January, but we successfully managed the soaring numbers, I do think we will get back on track again.

"We do not want to see Level 5 restrictions remain in Donegal when the rest of the country moves on".