Pictured on their first day as midwives in the South West Acute Hospital from left to right: Eimir Martin and Cora McCann. TWO Fermanagh women have recently returned to their home county to take up positions as midwives in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen. Eimir Martin, from Lisnaskea, and Cora McCann, from Irvinestown, both obtained a First Class Honours degree in Midwifery Science from Queen s University Belfast and completed their midwifery training at the SWAH, where they were offered and have accepted permanent positions as midwives. A spokeswoman on behalf of the Western Health and Social Care Trust said: The [Western Trust] Maternity Services is delighted to welcome two of our QUB student midwives, Eimir Martin and Cora McCann, who completed their midwifery training at the SWAH.
PARAMEDICS from as far away as Tipperary are on duty in Northern Ireland after one of the highest one-day Covid-19 death tolls was announced.
Despite that, shoppers continued to hit the high streets, with crowds making the most of the days left until non-essential retail closes.
The Department of Health announced yesterday that 17 people had died from Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours, bringing the local death toll to 1,183.
It also revealed that 640 people had tested positive for the virus during the same period. There are currently 427 Covid-19 patients in hospital, with 30 in intensive care and 30 on ventilators.
One ambulance crew made an almost 180-mile journey from Tipperary to Newry ambulance station to bolster local paramedics on duty on Friday night.
FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council currently has the highest seven-day rate per 100k people in Northern Ireland, with a rate of 258.5, compared to the Northern Ireland (NI) average such rate of 194.9. From December 5-11, the seven-day rate per 100k people in Fermanagh and Omagh stood at 179.7 - the first time that the Council area has had the highest such rate since the pandemic began. The Council area has recorded 68 positive cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours - the third-highest of all Council areas in NI, behind Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council (92) and Newry, Mourne and Down (74). The latest figure brings the total to 2,848 positive cases in the Council area.
A SISTER of the late Basil Elliott has paid tribute to her supportive big brother, who she described as an “absolute gentleman”. Basil (79), a resident of Meadow View Care Home, formerly of Fairview Avenue, Enniskillen, passed away peacefully on December 7 after contracting Covid-19 following a long period of ill-health. Describing Basil as an “absolute gentleman”, Anne Elliott-King spoke highly of her late brother, who was like a “father-figure” to her and her two sisters. “He was very supportive to us all; we couldn’t have asked for better. He was always there,” she said, adding: “Some years ago, I went through breast cancer chemo and radiotherapy, and when I was alone in the house he would have come out and just sat in the house just to be there in case I needed him.”
A YOUNG paramedic has been praised after she helped deliver a baby at the side of the road during her first shift.
As reported in last week’s UH, Declan and Gemma-Louise Molloy from outside Ballygawley dramatically welcomed their third child, Leo, into the world on the roadside during the early hours of a freezing morning.
Despite the couple’s best attempt to get to South West Acute Hospital on time, the baby wasn’t waiting around and they had to pull over at Fivemiletown Mart where proud father Declan delivered his new born baby son in the passenger seat of the couple’s car.