The National Maternity Hospital has reported no new cases of Covid-19 among its staff after almost all of them were fully vaccinated.

Nearly all 1,100 members of staff at the hospital in Holles Street in Dublin have now received their second dose of the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine.

They received the first dose over a four-day period between January 7th and 11th and the second on February 1st.

Hospital Report

A small number of workers on maternity leave or long-term sick leave are yet to receive a vaccine.

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Not only does no member of staff have Covid-19, just nine are self-isolating as a result of being close contacts of people with the virus – the lowest since the pandemic began last March.

At its worst point, some 107 members of staff were off either as a result of Covid-19 or because they were close contacts.

Seventy members of staff have tested positive for Covid-19 since last March.

The number of staff with Covid-19 peaked in the third wave with 11 reported cases beginning the week of January 4th. In the previous week beginning December 28th, 10 members of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

After the first vaccine was administered the numbers dropped the following week to six, then to five, then to one and over the last fortnight, there has been no reported cases.

NMH’s clinical director Dr Roger McMorrow said the fall off in community transmission in recent weeks was unlikely to have been the critical factor as infections in hospital staff are usually higher than in the general population.

Dr McMorrow stressed the experience of the hospital staff shows that vaccines work and no member of staff reported any side effects other than a mild fever for 24 hours after receiving the second dose.

“When we got our first vaccine, there was such joy and excitement and relief from the staff,” he said.

“Back in January we were facing into the very high peak of that wave. To get the vaccine offered a ray of hope for us all. The mood shifted quite noticeably among staff.

“We know that 12 days after your first dose a good level of immunity develops. At three weeks you have 90 per cent effectiveness from the vaccine.

“You reach the 95 per cent effectiveness about nine days after your second one. We are now at that stage.”

Frontline healthcare workers were listed as the highest priority for the vaccine after residents of nursing homes and their staff were vaccinated.

“To have a whole hospital fully vaccinated gives us more confidence working with each other. It is an extra layer of protection from catching the virus,” Dr McMorrow added.

“Though we don’t yet have the data, it does reduce the transmission of the disease. I hope as evidence is gathered, it will show a reduction in transmission as well.”