As West Belfast surges to the top of the Covid-19 infection tables, a top health professional is warning that a perfect covid storm is headed our way — and our only protection is the vaccine. 

That's the hard-hitting message this morning from West Belfast pharmacist Terry Maguire who says the vaccine-hesitant and refuseniks are dicing with death. 

“The reality is that if you are not vaccinated, you are likely to expose yourself to a huge risk to a severe bout of Covid, ending up in hospital or even dying," said the Beechmount chemist who is part of a new community push to get more vaccine jabs into arms.

“We all have to look to our own personal responsibilities by getting vaccinated. It is a perfect storm. We can’t ignore it anymore. We need to get the population vaccinated.”

There are now three dedicated pharmacies in the BT12 area of West Belfast – where take-up of the vaccine is lowest —  offering the Moderna vaccine. Additionally, there are pop-up clinics including at the Whiterock Day Centre.

They pharmacies are:

Maguire Pharmacy, Beechmount Avenue
McAreavey Pharmacy, Falls Road
McKeevers Chemist, Springfield Road

With numbers spiralling in BT17, which covers Colin, it's expected more pharmacies in that area will join the vaccine rollout programme in the short time ahead. 

A pop-up clinic will operate at the Falls Park Bowling Pavilion on Thursday and Saturday from 4-8pm. 

West Belfast once again recorded the most new positive cases in the past week with 807 new infections — up from 798.

Yesterday, local woman Stephanie Irvine was one of those stepping up to receive the vaccine at the Whiterock Day Centre. "I came today for family reasons,"she said. "At the start I was apprehensive about getting it but now I realise that I need it"