21 UCD medicine students have volunteered to assist with Covid-19 vaccinations at the Helix in DCU on Saturday the 20th of February.
920 people over the age of 85 are due to get their Covid vaccine on Saturday. Dr Maitiu O’Faolain explained that the UCD medicine students will be assisting with administration, helping those with reduced mobility and also creating a nice atmosphere in the vaccine centre. The centre holds 42 different vaccine bays, meaning many elderly people will need mobility assistance from the students. Stressing that for many elderly people this will be their first time out of the house for months, O’Faolain noted the importance of being greeted by a friendly, safe atmosphere and “smiling faces”.
Dr O’Faolain outlined that within 3 minutes of putting out the call out for assistance the 21 volunteering spaces were filled. Describing the “fantastic response”, Dr O’Faolain said he was “blown away with how quickly they met the challenge”, adding that the students are a “credit to their generation” and as a graduate of UCD he is “very proud” of the current students.