I am encouraging the public to avail of vaccination as local pharmacies offer the Janssen single dose Covid-19 vaccine free of charge from today (Monday) to people aged 50 or over.
Those aged between 40 and 69 can register for a free Covid-19 vaccine on the website vaccine.hse.ie and it is expected that later this week this will be intended to those aged 30-39.
We are now in a race against time to try to get as many people vaccinated as possible before there is a significant outbreak of the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus”.
“We are already seen the UK postpone the reopening of aspects of its economy due to the Delta variant, it is important that as many people as possible avail of vaccination here as soon as it becomes available to them”.
“In tandem with these measures the HSE must fast-track vaccination for those who are awaiting their second vaccination, particularly those older people and vulnerable groups who originally received the AstraZeneca Vaccine.
“At present, there are about 420,000 people awaiting their second AstraZeneca dose which is due to be administered between mid-June and early August and I intend to ensure that this issue is addressed by Government in Dáil Eireann this week”.