Walk in COVID-19 vaccination centres are to open across the country over the Bank Holiday weekend as the vaccine rollout continues to gather pace.
It comes as a Clare Government Senator is defending criticism of a Cabinet request to provide more streamlined data for the hospitalisation of patients who have the virus.
From the weekend, if you’re yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine you’ll be able to get one in certain locations without an appointment.
It’s not yet known if any such centres will be operational in Clare, with full details expected to be revealed by the HSE later.
The vaccine rollout is gathering further pace, with the portal opening for 16 and 17 year old’s this morning.
A decision is also set to be announced on vaccinating 12-15 year old’s, with the National Immunisation Advisory Committee understood to have recommended the move.
Consent of parents or guardians will be needed to vaccinate their children and they will likely have to accompany them to vaccination centres.
The first appointments may be offered next week in the hope of getting this age group fully vaccinated before schools return next month.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin says the walk-in centres are about speeding up the rollout in the face of the Delta wave.
Despite the development, hospitals continue to report what they describe as ‘significant pressure’ due to increasing COVID admissions.
There are now 141 patients with the virus in hospital – compared to 38 just over a month ago.
9 of those patients are being treated at University Hospital Limerick, up from 3 last week, while 21 further patients in Dooradoyle are suspected to have the virus.
Tony Canavan heads the Saolta Group of seven hospitals across the North and West of the country – he’s expecting the numbers to grow further.
Clare’s Fine Gael Senator though, says in spite of warnings of increasing hospitalisations, the Government’s bid to identify whether fewer people are in hospital because of virus itself, is the right one.
Ministers are looking for a breakdown in the number of hospital patients who have presented for treatment of Covid symptoms, and those who are being treated for a separate condition, but have tested positive for the virus.
Ennistymon-based Senator Martin Conway says any comparison to previous data is redundant due to the level of vaccination within the country.
