Waterford location chosen for South East Covid-19 Mass Vaccination Centre

Substantial work is set to commence imminently on the establishment of a Mass Vaccination Centre (MVC) at WIT Arena on he outskirts of Waterford City.

That's according to Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins, who said the news is welcomed as fears had been expressed locally that Waterford would be overlooked for such a centre.

“I have heard a lot of rumours and speculation circulating recently that Waterford was not part of HSE plans for a MVC, therefore I felt it was important to bring clarity to the situation because misinformation is very unhelpful in the current climate," the Waterford Senator said.

"I have impressed upon the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar the suitability of WIT Arena to house the South East MVC, but ultimately this is an operational matter for the HSE and the Vaccine Rollout Taskforce. Thankfully the availability of a facility of WIT Arena’s scale, quality and location on the city’s bypass made it an ideal choice."

The Waterford Senator said the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme is a "major logistical operation". He added: "I have no doubt that these MVCs, coupled with the vast network of GPs and pharmacies which we have, will be able to administer the necessary quantities of vaccines once sufficient stocks becomes available.

"At this point it has not been confirmed when the centre at the WIT Arena will become operational. Naturally a lot will depend on the availability of vaccine supply, however, a lot of planning has gone into this and I expect the major logistical operation to establish this MVC to start very shortly. On behalf of the people of the Waterford and the South East, I want to wish all those who will be involved in setting up and operating this critical facility every success in the coming weeks and months."