jab scandal St Gerard's teacher 'devastated' by minority of staff members skipping the queue at Beacon hospital

Health Minister has since suspended vaccinations at The Beacon Hospital, where an independent review is being carried out

The Beacon Hospital in Sandyford Co Dublin. Photo: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Esther McCarthy

March 30 2021 04:35 PM

A teacher at St Gerard’s school in Bray has spoken of their anger that fellow staff were vaccinated at the Beacon hospital - and said other staff were now “being tarred with the one brush”.

In a letter to RTÉ’s Liveline, the teacher added: “I am utterly devastated and very angry by what has taken place”.

They also pointed out that a minority of staff - 20 out of approximately 100 - were involved.

“The vast majority had no part in this and yet are being tarred with the one brush,” wrote the teacher, who chose to remain anonymous.

“The chosen colleagues never told or shared this information with us. The rest of the teaching body and staff only learned of this appalling affair from the breaking news on Friday morning.

“Teachers and their extended family and staff innocent of this scandal have had to endure text messages and phone calls all weekend asking them if they had skipped the queue and taken the vaccine.”

In the letter, read out on air by Joe Duffy, the teacher added that they did not accept the vaccines were going to waste and that they would not have taken the vaccine had they been offered it.

“It is a disgrace. It should not have happened,” they wrote.

The story first came to light last week when the Irish Daily Mail reported that staff from the fee-paying school in Co Wicklow received vaccines at the private hospital, and that children of the CEO attend the school.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has since suspended vaccinations at The Beacon Hospital, where an independent review is being carried out.