Dedicated Covid-19 vaccination clinics for 12-to-15-year-olds commence at Limerick, Ennis and Nenagh this weekend.
Parents have been registering their children for vaccination in considerable numbers since the HSE online portal opened for this age group on Wednesday evening.
UL Hospitals Group vaccination teams are running their first such clinics at the area vaccination centres Limerick Racecourse, the West County Hotel, Ennis, and Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh this Saturday and Sunday. Over 2,300 children have been scheduled for first doses at the three centres over the two days.
Only children with an appointment and accompanied by an adult will receive a vaccine on the day (see details below for registration process and requirements on day of vaccination).
Clinics taking place for this age group at the three MidWest vaccination centres over the coming weeks will take account of the return to school.
Dr Siobhan Gallagher, Consultant Paediatrician, and Clinical Director, Maternal and Child Health Directorate, UL Hospitals Group, commented: “We are pleased to be moving to the next stage of the vaccination programme. Ireland has made great progress to date and we are one of a number of EU countries now in a position to move ahead with vaccinating children aged 12 and over. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved for this age group by the European Medicines Agency and recommended in Ireland by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
“The Faculty of Paediatrics in the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland supports the rollout of the vaccination programme to this age group. Vaccines will be offered to children aged 12 to 15. I would in particular encourage vaccine uptake for children with an underlying health condition that puts them at increased risk of becoming unwell with a Covid-19 infection. While serious illness from Covid-19 in healthy children is thankfully rare, we are encouraging all parents and guardians to visit the HSE website and consider the benefits and risks of the vaccine for their children, their families and their communities before making an informed choice about vaccinating their child against COVID-19,” Dr Gallagher said.
In its vaccination programme to date UL Hospitals Group vaccination teams have administered a total of 308,501 vaccinations. This total does not include the vaccination work undertaken by HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service, General Practitioners and pharmacists.