Almost 30% of the population of Donegal have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
A total of 37,320 (29%) people out of a population of 128,556 people in Donegal received their first vaccine by May 3rd last.
A total of 13,949 people or 10.9% of the population of Donegal have received their second vaccine dose.
The figures, which were released last night by the HSE, are in line with the rest of the country.
It follows a briefing for local media given by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn.
A follow-up briefing document issued by the HSE appealed to the people of Donegal not to make Covid a blame game.
The statement reads “It doesn’t matter how a person contracted COVID-19, what is most important now is that we all take the steps available to us to break the chains of transmission and stop the spread of COVID-19.
“This is not an exercise in finger pointing, it is about all stakeholders working together with one message to encourage everyone to continue to follow the public health advice, isolate and phone your GP if you have symptoms, give accurate information to contact tracers, continue to wash your hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
“COVID-19 is still widespread in all of our communities, however some communities have a higher level of incidence than others and this is a major concern.
“It is in all of our hands to stop the spread and protect our loved ones.
“The case studies clearly show how easily COVID-19 can spread, even among small groups.
“Risk assess your situation, feel empowered to go home if an area is crowded.
Use the 2/3 rule:
· Outdoors + Distanced = No Mask Needed
· Outdoors + No Distance = Mask Needed
· Indoors = Mask Needed
“Finally, remember that while Donegal’s incidence (14 day incidence is currently 308 per 100,000) is high relative to other counties, its incidence in January was 1,600 per 100,000; the improvement seen over the past number of months demonstrates that the majority of people are doing most of the right things most of the time.
“If we can work together over the next few weeks, we can drive down incidence, ensure that as many people as possible have an opportunity to get protected through vaccination and look forward to a much better summer once the majority have been protected.”
