Categories
Community Government Health Stormont

New Spring Covid 19 Boosters Available

A spring COVID-19 booster vaccination will be offered to those aged 75 and over, as well as anyone over the age of 12 who is immunosuppressed. The JCVI is advising that those who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 should be offered an additional booster this spring. Most people in this group will have received their […]

Categories
Health

Plans to Further Increase Booster Vaccine Take-Up

The vaccination dashboard records that 152,789 boosters have now been administered in Northern Ireland, with a further 12,703 third doses also provided. “I am pleased to see the numbers climbing,” Health Minister Robin Swann stated. “I have been assured that to date more than half a million vaccine doses have now been ordered for the booster dose, […]

Categories
Health

Booster Programme Extended to 40-49 Year Olds

Health Minister Robin Swann has welcomed the JCVI recommendation to extend the COVID-19 vaccine booster to the 40-49-year-old age group. The announcement comes with the number of booster/third doses delivered in Northern Ireland having passed the 200,000 mark. The JCVI has also recommended that 16-and-17 year olds be offered a second vaccination dose. The Health Minister […]

Categories
Health

MINISTER HAILS CARE HOME VACCINATION PROGRAMME

The drive to administer first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine across all of Northern Ireland’s care homes has been completed, Health Minister Robin Swann has confirmed. Trust vaccination teams have been visiting care homes since the vaccination programme commenced in December. The last remaining homes have now been visited, the programme schedule has allowed […]

Categories
Health

VACCINATION PROGRAMME IS FURTHER EXTENDED

A major extension of Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been announced. The programme will continue to be based on a twin track approach, with responsibilities divided between GP practices and the seven regional vaccination centres run by health trusts. The latest extension will see the start of a major vaccination drive for carers, with […]

Categories
Health

ARE YOU 65-69? DON’T DELAY IN BOOKING YOUR VACCINE

People aged between 65 and 69 across Northern Ireland have been urged to book their Covid-19 vaccination appointments without delay. Online and telephone booking for this age group were introduced late last month, with a surge of initial bookings made. Demand has understandably slowed since then, and the Department of Health is advising that some […]

Categories
Health

VACCINATION PROGRAMME PUBLISHED

The Department of Health has today published the phased plan for NI’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. The Northern Ireland model for vaccine deployment has been designed to be pragmatic, agile and flexible. As has been repeatedly emphasised, the rate of progress will be dependent on the availability of vaccines, supplied as part of UK-wide arrangements. The […]

Categories
Health

GREEN LIGHT FOR MODERNA

The Moderna vaccine becomes third vaccine to receive approval from Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The Health Minister has the announcement that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna has been given regulatory approval: “This week has seen the grave pressures of Covid come to bear on our health service, so news of the approval of a […]

Categories
Health

OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA VACCINE GETS THE GO AHEAD

Approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine boosts our confidence that better times are ahead in 2021, Health Minister Robin Swann has stated. The approval by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) paves the way for a significant acceleration of Northern Ireland’s vaccination programme. But the Minister has also warned that the coming weeks […]

Categories
Health

NEW VARIANT COVID-19 CASE CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN IRELAND

The Department of Health can confirm a positive test for the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Northern Ireland. The confirmation underlines the need for everyone to “redouble our efforts to stop the virus spreading,” Health Minister Robin Swann has emphasised. Genome analysis had been conducted on a small number of suspected Northern Ireland cases, […]

Categories
Health

HEALTH MINISTER PRAISES “HUGE ACHIEVEMENT” OF VACCINATION TEAMS

Health Minister Robin Swann has praised the work of the COVID-19 vaccination teams who have now administered the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to more than 25,000 care home residents and frontline Health and Social Care staff.  To date, 25,116 vaccine doses have been administered. Those receiving the jabs include 8,031 care home residents – more than […]

Categories
Health

VACCINE ROLL OUT FOR TRUST STAFF CONTINUES

Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Trusts have stood up their staff vaccination clinics from the beginning of this week as part of a phased programme. Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said: “All staff working in Health and Social Care will be able to get the vaccination in line with the advice from the […]