Parents can register their 12- to 15-year-olds for Covid jab as 90% of adults are now inoculated
Twins Seán and Liam Gallagher, 17, from Bandon, after receiving their vaccines at Clonakilty GAA Club in Cork.
Registration for the vaccination of 12- to 15-years-olds opened last night, with two thirds of the total population now fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The registration process was scheduled to begin today, but the online portal opened ahead of schedule.
Some 6.2m doses of the vaccines have been administered to August 10, meaning almost 90% of adults and 88% of people aged over 16 have received at least one dose.
Some 78% of adults and 76% of those over 16 are fully vaccinated, according to Professor Brian MacCraith, chair of the vaccine task force, who hailed the “amazing response” of the Irish people with regard to vaccine uptake.
Parents can now register their 12- to 15-year-olds to receive an mRNA vaccine, the HSE has confirmed.
Parents can read the HSE's online guide to registering your child for a free Covid-19 vaccine, which includes the live link to the registration portal.
Dr Lucy Jessop, director of the national immunisation office, said vaccines will be offered to all children in this age bracket.
“They are particularly recommended for children who have a health condition that puts them at higher risk of severe illness from Covid-19, or if they live with someone who is at higher risk of Covid-19,” she said:
Meanwhile, health services in the west and north west of the country are urging the public to keep up their guard, following increasing cases and a high number of hospital attendances.
Tony Canavan, chief executive of the Saolta Hospital Group said hospitals are continuing to deal with record numbers of attendances at emergency departments.
“All the while, the number of Covid-19 infections in our communities is growing and resulting in greater numbers of hospitalisations,” he said.
Mr Canavan’s comments come as 1,819 additional cases of Covid-19 were reported to the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) yesterday.
There were 206 Covid-19 patients in hospitals, of whom 36 were in ICU as of yesterday morning.
Deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said that vaccination, combined with basic public health measures, is “the most effective way to protect the community against Covid-19,” he said.
"If you are pregnant and you have concerns about taking the vaccine, speak to your GP, obstetrician, or midwife for guidance and for bespoke health advice for your pregnancy."
The Department of Public Health North East has appealed to people in Monaghan to continue to follow public health advice due to concerns over an increase in Covid-19 cases in the county in recent weeks.
The most recent 14-day incidence rate for the local electoral area is 625.7 cases per 100,000 population, almost double the national rate.
Dr Augustine Pereira, director of Public Health North East, described the current situation as concerning, with case numbers “increasing rapidly”.
“We have not seen this level of infection since early February, which is a worrying trend and shows that this virus is prevalent in our communities.”
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