Doctors’ union calls for more RoI-NI co-ordination to fight Covid

The NI wing of the British Medical Association (BMA) has said a close eye must be kept on infection rates in the border areas, amid concern about the Republic’s slow vaccine progress.
The island of Ireland (c/o GoogleMaps)The island of Ireland (c/o GoogleMaps)
The island of Ireland (c/o GoogleMaps)

The Northern Irish wing of the British Medical Association (BMA) has said that a close eye must be kept on infection rates in the Irish border areas, amid concern about the Republic’s slow vaccine progress.

According to figures reported in the Irish Times, across the UK as a whole 60 vaccine jabs (counting both first and second ones) have been given for every 100 people.

In the Republic, the figure is only 22.

Dr Tom Black chairman of the BMA’s NI Council (representing the Province’s doctors) said: “We have seen that the rest of the UK has lifted restrictions, so today’s news will be very welcome...

“Unlike the rest of the UK we share a border with the RoI and, as infection rates in the Derry and Strabane border area is currently showing us, greater co-ordination on public health measures is needed between the two jurisdictions to help minimise further outbreaks.”

Department of Health data shows that in the past fortnight the NI trust areas with the highest Covid-related hospital admissions were the Northern (44) and Western (33) – compared with a mere nine in the South-Eastern.

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