Following a year of cocooning, Ballinlough teenager and kidney transplant recipient, Rebecca Osgood-Daly (17) made her way to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on Thursday last to receive her second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination.
Rebecca’s mother, Bernie Osgood, had been campaigning for patients aged 16 and 17 to be included as part of group 4 of the vaccination priority list.
“It has been a long time coming and we are so grateful to have reached this point. Rebecca has been cocooning for over a year, away from her friends, and it has been very difficult for her,” Bernie told the Roscommon People this week.
“When the first schedule for the rollout of vaccines was announced we were in disbelief that Rebecca and other transplant recipients of her age were not included. When the age category for the vaccination rollout was extended to over 16s it was a huge relief. Once her vaccine has had time to work, we expect that Rebecca will be able to get back to school after a year-long hiatus”.
“We actually had to go to Dublin twice,” Bernie added, “We were called to Beaumont on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day but when we arrived she was offered the AstraZenica vaccine even though Pfizer was the only one recommended for her. They didn’t bring Rebecca in and eventually said she’d have to come back to get the Pfizer jab. There was lots of confusion”.
The Head of Nursing at Beaumont called Bernie later that weekend to apologise for the mix-up and Rebecca was called back on Tuesday, March 16th to receive her first dose.
“She was really happy after all the stress,” Bernie said, “She received her second dose last Thursday and we stopped off for McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme drive thru on the way home!”
Bernie works as a teacher at Ballyhaunis Community School and the whole family has had to take extreme steps this past year in order to protect Rebecca.
“I haven’t really been able to mix with other staff members so I have been taking my breaks in my car just to be safe.
“I’ve been feeling like a different person since last Thursday though. The weight of the stress of cocooning and waiting for the call was unbearable at times,” she said.
