MAPLE Healthcare, Lisnaskea Health Centre, have run a successful drive-thru flu vaccination clinic at St. Kevin's College that saw almost 1,900 people immunised across two Saturdays.

The drive-thru clinic at St. Kevin's College saw the practice thank "St. Kevin’s College, Lisnaskea for such a super venue and especially Mr Kelly, Shane McGoldrick, Geraldine Montgomery and the senior students who helped us with the set-up and tidy-up."

They also expressed thanks volunteer stewards "who expertly managed the traffic flow through the car park" and the PSNI, who assisted with traffic management on the road at peak times.

The practice thanked the St John’s Ambulance teams who attended for the duration on both days.

The Health Centre expressed gratitude to their patients and their drivers for participating in the programme "to facilitate a smooth process, with many in and out within five minutes".

The doctors added:"We would like particularly to thank our marvellous management team, and our dedicated nursing and clerical colleagues who worked so efficiently and with good humour, especially on their days off.

"Well done, everyone, Roll on the vaccine for Covid-19."

The successful programme occurred just before the Public Health Agency's (PHA) advisement of a world-wide shortage of the flu vaccine in the face of exceptionally high demand, including in Northern Ireland.

The global demand has led to a temporary pause on some aspects of the seasonal flu programme until further stock becomes available next month.

Dr Gerry Waldron, Head of Health Protection at the PHA, said: “Demand for the flu vaccine this year has been phenomenal, and we are pleased that people have acted on the call to get it to help protect themselves and their loved ones.

"Flu alone can be a dangerous illness, but with Coronavirus also in circulation this year, it is even more important for key groups to get vaccinated.

“Primary care, pharmacy colleagues and Trusts have adapted admirably to the challenges of the Coronavirus to enable key groups to get vaccinated, and along with the rest of the UK we are now reaching a full uptake of the allocated stock.

"It is important to note that more than half a million doses of flu vaccine have already been distributed in Northern Ireland – an unprecedented number at this stage of a seasonal flu vaccination programme.

"Indeed, we have distributed more vaccines in the past few weeks than in the entirety of previous flu seasons."