Covid-19 vaccines jet into Donegal Airport

The Air Corps are assisting with the speedy delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to Donegal.

Vaccines were delivered to Donegal Airport on Wednesday via the Pilatus PC-12NG (Next Generation) aircraft.

Time is of the essence with the transport of Pfizer BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine, as it must be kept cold.

Donegal Airport had a warm welcome for 104 Squadron and Commanding Officer Mick Barcoe on the ramp at Carrickfinn.

The Pilatus PC-12NG entered service in 2020 for medical, logistics and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) purposes.

The aircraft has been regularly used in supporting the Covid-19 fight with the delivery of test samples to Munich for analysis.

The first vaccines for Donegal’s Residential Services for Older Persons were administered yesterday. Nicky Hanlon, aged 77, was the first to receive the jab at the Ramelton Community Nursing Unit. A vaccination programme has been underway at Letterkenny University Hospital since last week.

Over 77,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Ireland as of yesterday, which is 1.58% of the population. The HSE today announced that a total of 69,378 frontline healthcare workers and 7,925 residents and staff at long-term care facilities have been vaccinated so far.