18-34 age group can opt-in early for Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines
From next Monday, July 5, around 750 pharmacies around the country will begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those the 18-34 age group who have registered with their local pharmacy.
- - 18-34 year olds can register for J&J vaccine with pharmaciesÂ
- - vaccine portal opens for 30 to 34-year-oldsÂ
- - 18-34 cohort can opt-in for J&J and AZ jabs through portal
- - all age groups who have had first AZ dose will have received their second
- - vaccinations with mRNA vaccines will begin for 30-34 age group
- A list of can be found here
Those aged between 18 and 34 years will have the choice to opt-in for a Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Health Minister confirmed this morning that in an effort to speed up the Covid-19 vaccine rollout adults under 34 years will have the option to choose between the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) or the viral vector vaccines (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen and AstraZeneca).
Stephen Donnelly said this will allow people in that age group to receive their vaccine up to two months earlier.
The vaccine rollout among this age group will run on a two-track system running through pharmacies and through the vaccine portal.
From next Monday, July 5, around 750 pharmacies around the country will begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those the 18-34 age group who have registered with their local pharmacy.
He said: "Next Monday pharmacies will begin administering Janssen to people aged 18 to 34, who have contacted their pharmacy registered with their pharmacy and said: 'I'd like to be vaccinated, I appreciate that I will be getting an mRNA vaccine in the future, but I want to get vaccinated earlier'."
Mr Donnelly warned that supplies will be limited but the HSE say 53,000 J&J vaccines are available at pharmacies nationally with an additional 70,000 doses available at short notice "if needed".
Through July, it is estimated there will be between 205,000 and 210,000 J&J vaccines with more arriving next month.
From July 12, the 18-34 cohort will be able to go to the online portal to register for the viral vector vaccines.Â
At this time, people in older groups who have previously registered for an mRNA vaccine can, at that point, amend their record to opt in for an earlier J&J or AstraZeneca vaccine at a vaccination centre if they wish.
Those who choose opt for a viral vector vaccine through the vaccination centres will largely receive AstraZeneca, according to Mr Donnelly.
Asked whether there would be confusion about the new two-track approach, Mr Donnelly said the supporting IT systems were in place and that the vaccine system will record each person’s details, including what vaccine they received and where and when they were given it.
Following a significant delivery of AstraZeneca this week, Mr Donnelly said the plan is to accelerate the end of the second doses for those aged 60 to 69 years and for all other cohorts who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca.
"Our intention is that in the next 10 or 11 days, everyone who has had their first dose of AstraZeneca - if they haven't already had it - will have their second dose," said Mr Donnelly.
Asked about people under 18 and the threat the Delta variant has on students returning to school, Mr Donnelly said: "For younger people from 12 to 15 the EMA has authorized the use of Pfizer.
"NIAC is looking at that right now, what I want to prioritise is 12 to 15-year-olds with underlying conditions.
"So, there's a huge amount of work going on to make sure that the return to education is safe and is safe for onsite learning," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
A public health expert says Ireland has among the highest daily case numbers in Europe.
The Republic has the fourth highest 14-day incidence rate in the EU behind Cyprus, Portugal and Spain.
Buncrana in Donegal has the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 in the country.
The local electoral area's 14-day rate is 608 - which is over six times the national average.
The second highest is Dungarvan in Waterford, at 600 and Carndonagh, also in Donegal, is the next worst with a rate of 489.
Areas of Limerick and Dublin also have high incidence rates.
Last night, 448 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed here and the reproduction number of the virus has risen above 1.
Trinity College Dublin School of Biochemistry Associate Professor Tomás Ryan says Ireland compares poorly to the rest of Europe with the Delta variant surging.
"Most of continental Europe is in a comparatively stable situation. We are not, our case numbers are growing and the Delta variant is becoming dominant in the Irish population," said Prof Ryan.
"For this reason, our experience of the pandemic right now is very different to what is going on in Europe."
The proportion of the Delta strain in new cases is estimated to be as high as 70%.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) is predicting significant transmission of the virus in the coming months, with a possible peak of hospital admissions due to the spread of the variant in September.
It said cases are mainly being seen in unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people.
The number of passengers who arrived into Dublin Airport increased by 15% last week.
Over 23,000 people flew into the facility - nearly 3,000 more than the previous week.
Over 13,000 Irish residents returned from abroad and nearly 10,000 foreign residents flew in.
The numbers are expected to rise sharply from July 19, when Ireland's due to opt into the EU's digital Covid cert.
Over 200 million people have signed up to get an EU digital Covid cert for travel so far.
The system went live yesterday but Ireland is the only country not able to comply with the regulation.
The cert proves someone has been vaccinated, had the virus or recently tested negative.
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