Covid-19 vaccinations in Cork and Ireland – when and where are they happening?
February update on Covid-19 vaccinations in Cork and nationally.
As Covid 19 vaccines are rolled out across Ireland, we thought that it would be helpful to take a look at the vaccination programme’s progress as it stands in early February. In this article, we look at the current plans for Covid-19 vaccinations in Cork and Ireland. Get the essential info about the Covid vaccination programme rollout. Continue reading for the latest HSE advice on who will be vaccinated and the plans for when and where vaccines are being given. We also take a look at the three vaccines currently licensed for use in Ireland.
What do you need to do to get the vaccine in Cork?
You do not need to contact healthcare services, or register in advance, to get your vaccine. When your vaccine is available, your GP will contact you to let you know. Covid-19 vaccinations in Cork and Ireland are taking place at vaccine clinics, GP surgeries and in community pharmacies.
Who will get the Covid-19 jab first?
Those who are most at risk from Covid-19 are being vaccinated first. These groups of people are currently being vaccinated:
- Group 1 – aged 65 years and older living in long-term care facilities.
- Group 2 – frontline healthcare workers.
Who’s being vaccinated next?
People aged 85 and over are the next group who will receive their Covid-19 vaccine. That’s expected to start in February. If you’re aged 85 or over, you don’t need to contact your GP or register anywhere. Your GP will be in touch when your vaccine is available.
The HSE are currently advising that the vaccine will be offered to more groups as soon as supplies are available. Vaccines are being given as supply arrives in Ireland.
The rollout of vaccines in Ireland will only be limited by supply.
What’s the plan for later phases?
Later phases of the Covid-19 vaccination programme will focus on these 3 groups initially:
- Group 3 – people aged 70 and older.
- Group 4 – other healthcare workers who aren’t in direct contact with patients.
- Group 5 – people aged 65 to 69 (with priority given to those with medical conditions that put them at high risk of serious disease).
Medical conditions which make you a priority member of group 5 include:
- chronic heart disease, including hypertension with cardiac involvement
- chronic respiratory disease, including asthmarequiring continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission
- type 1 and 2 diabetes
- chronic neurological disease
- chronic kidney disease
- body mass index (BMI) greater than 40
- immunosuppression due to disease or treatment
- chronic liver disease
- cancer
- Down syndrome
- having received an organ transplant
- sickle cell disease.
As other vaccines are approved and licensed for use in Ireland, HSE will offer them to the next groups until it’s made available to the general population.
Click to view the full list of vaccine groups on gov.ie
Who’s responsible for the vaccine rollout in Cork and Ireland?
As the first phase of Covid-19 vaccinations are currently underway, here in Cork and across the country, you may be wondering who’s responsible for the rollout. The HSE’s National Immunisation Office is running the vaccination programme. Reassuring, the HSE has a proven track record of previously rolling out vaccine programmes including the rotavirus vaccine and the HPV vaccine (achieving an 80% vaccination rate in 2019/20).
Which Covid-19 vaccines are being used in Ireland?
As of February 5th, 3 different vaccines are currently licensed for use in Ireland:
- Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (also known as “Comirnaty”)
- Moderna vaccine
- AstraZeneca vaccine
The HSE also reports that a number of other vaccines are in the final stages of licensing and approval.
All vaccines are rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness before they are approved for use in Ireland. As stated on the HSE website –
The HSE only uses a vaccine if it meets the required standards of safety and effectiveness.
Contact your local Cork Pharmacy in Mayfield, Togher or Shandon Street for healthcare advice
Since the first Irwin’s pharmacy shop opened in Cork in 1996, their team’s focus on customer service hasn’t wavered. If you’re a local person in Cork, in need of healthcare advice, your local Irwin’s pharmacy team are ready to provide the expert advice you need.
Call your local Irwin’s pharmacy on 021 430 4165 (Shandon St), 021 496 2777 (Togher) or 021 450 6633 (Mayfield).
Where can I find out more about Ireland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme?
- Covid-19 vaccines and immunity – Irwin’s Pharmacy
- Safety of COVID-19 vaccines – HSE.ie
- Immunity after COVID-19 vaccines – HSE.ie
- Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines – HSE.ie
- Treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 – European Medicines Agency – EMA.Europa.eu
- COVID-19 vaccination strategy and implementation plan – Gov.ie