IRELAND'S vaccination programme is now well under way as we approach nearly two months since the first jab was administered.
People who are most at risk from Covid-19 - elderly care home residents and frontline healthcare workers - have been prioritised, but who's next on the list and when will they be getting vaccinated?
Here's everything we know:
Which group will be vaccinated next?
As of February 15, vaccinations are being rolled out for the over-85s group.
After that, other groups will be prioritised, though there isn't an exact timeline for when each group will be vaccinated due to the ever-changing nature of the Covid-19 situation and the availability of vaccines.
These are the remaining groups and the order in which they'll be prioritised from here on out:
- People aged 70 or over
- Non frontline healthcare workers
- People aged 65-69
- Key workers providing services essential to the vaccination programme
- People aged 18-64 with certain medical conditions
- Residents of long-term care facilities aged 18-64
- People aged 18-64 living or working in crowded settings
- Key workers in essential jobs who cannot avoid a high risk of exposure
- People working in the education sector
- People aged 55-64
- Other workers in occupations important to the functioning of society
- People aged 18-54
- People aged under 18 and pregnant women
HSE CEO Paul Reid has said he expects everyone in this over 70s cohort to have received their first dose by mid-April and their second dose by the middle of May.
How do I organise my vaccination?
You won't need to contact anyone or register in advance. Your GP will contact you when your jab is ready and available.
Where will the vaccines be administered?
The majority of people will get their vaccine at their own GP’s surgery. This week 84 practices – many with several GPs working in them – will be involved in the initial roll-out.
Smaller practices or those with fewer than 200 patients in this age group will ‘buddy up’ with other local GPs, with some grouping together at a larger practice.
The Moderna vaccine is packed in 100 doses and the Pfizer one can only be packed down to 36 doses, so these measures are to ensure no doses are wasted in practices that have fewer over 85s.
A small number of mass vaccination centres in venues such as The Helix in DCU and Cork Institute of Technology will also be used. The Helix will be used by 121 GPs this week to vaccinate 1,600 of their patients.
What about people who need to get the vaccine in their homes?
The HSE has said arrangements will be made, where possible, to transport people to their appointments if required.
How many people have been vaccinated?
More than 240,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far. Around 90,000 people have now received both doses of the vaccine.
The Government has predicted that around 700,000 jabs will have been administered before the end of March, and has set a target of mid-September to try and vaccinate the entire country.
