Pop-up vaccination clinics for areas with low levels of vaccine uptake on the way

Saturday saw an additional 1,997 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the Department of Health said. Picture: Collins

Pop-up vaccination clinics will be used in areas with low jab uptake, the head of the rollout programme has said.

Professor Brian MacCraith said targeted campaigns in local media will also be used in areas where vaccination levels are low.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre is to provide a report in the coming days identifying areas with lower uptake.

It comes as walk-in vaccination centres across the country will welcome 12 to 15-year-olds for the first time.

Prof MacCraith said: “We’ll have a report this week, where there might be pockets that might be socio-economic, disadvantaged areas, that might be lower than others.

“I think the issue is to go out there with mobile units and pop-ups.

“You just make it easy, so we just get as many people vaccinated that would want to be vaccinated.”

He added: “In some of those counties that might have a slightly lower uptake than others, we’re going right in there to local radio, local newspapers, naming pharmacies that are offering these.

“For example, over 20 in Donegal will be named in the coming days, where people can come up and get their vaccine.

“I think this last piece, it’s not about sceptics, it is trying to just make it easy for people that might be slightly hesitant or might find just the activation energy of trying to get to somewhere a bit too difficult.”

On Friday Taoiseach Micheál Martin said health officials estimate that close to 90% of Irish people aged 16 and over will be vaccinated by September 6, a target Nphet has set for the lifting of final restrictions.

Appearing on RTE’s Brendan O’Connor show, Prof MacCraith said by the end of September, everyone who wants a vaccine will have been offered one.

“Clearly we’re in the final furlong, we’re in the last mile, we’re nearly there,” he said.

“I think the emergency phase of the vaccination rollout programme will come to an end in the end of September.”

As of Saturday, among the adult population, 91.7% have received one dose of the vaccine, while 87.8% are fully vaccinated, with a total of 6.77 million doses administered.

“These are incredible numbers,” Prof MacCraith said. 

“Four out of five people in Ireland over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.”

Saturday saw an additional 1,997 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the Department of Health said.

There are now 324 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down two on the previous day, of which 61 are in intensive care units, up two.