Taoiseach says 250,000 children would receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine before school reopens
DUBLIN: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that vaccination for children will go ahead in a timely manner. The Taoiseach said the first dose of the vaccine would be given to 250,000 children by the end of August before the school reopens.
Speaking during a visit to see the operation of the vaccination clinic in Swords, north Dublin, Mr Martin said registrations for a shot opened on Tuesday for 16 to 17 year olds, and that vaccines will also be offered to 12 to 15-year-olds.
However, he acknowledged that there were some technological challenges, particularly in terms of “facilitating informed consent from parents online.”
The Taoiseach stated that young people will be given mRNA vaccines.
In Ireland, a total of 5.72 million vaccines have been administered, with 71% of adults fully vaccinated and 86% partially vaccinated with one dose.
The Taoiseach said that 94.6% of vaccines received by Ireland have been administered, adding that Ireland has a high vaccine uptake level when compared to other countries.
Walk-in vaccination centres
Several walk-in vaccination centres, which Martin described as a “further innovation by the HSE,” have opened and will open across the country in the coming days. He said that anyone aged 16 and above can go to a walk-in vaccination centre without making an appointment for their first dose.
“The vaccination program has facilitated the reopening of our society in terms of the big milestones from schools to childcare construction to retail to personal services to outdoor hospitality to indoor dining and hospitality to trial events in sport and in live entertainment — with wedding numbers going up to 100,” he said.
“We will monitor this during August, and there will be three Cabinet Covid subcommittees meetings when it comes to forming a view as to how we move forward then in September,” he added.
Delta fear continues…
Mr Martin said that there are still “unknowns out there and uncertainties in respect of the Delta variant”. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and the number of daily infections are increasing.
“So we’re going to keep a close eye on the linkage between volume of cases, hospitalisation and impact on health services. We are witnessing now, in the middle of summer, significant activity levels, outside of COVID in our hospitals.”
He said he was optimistic that it would be completed step by step. However, he warned that people would still need booster doses in the autumn, as well as in 2022 and 2023.
The Department of Health reported 1,501 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, the most infections in a single day since January 23.
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