Covid-19 booster clinics to open across the North

THE Health Minister Robin Swann revealed details of the Health Trusts’ vaccination hubs and clinics that are opening this week across the North.

These will complement the ongoing vaccination work of GPs and local pharmacies, significantly increasing the system’s capacity to deliver boosters.

Tyrone will have two vaccination booster clinics. The first will be in the Junction, Dungannon on Sunday December 5, and will be open for one day from 9.30am-5.30pm.

The second in Omagh Leisure Centre will open from December 15 to December 21. This clinic will be open seven days a week from 9.00am-4.30pm except for Mondays and Thursdays when it will instead open 12.00pm-8.00pm to facilitate evening appointments.

In the first instance, most Trust vaccination hubs and clinics will principally focus on boosters for the over 50s. Anyone in this category should be called by their GP but can also attend Community Pharmacy or Trust Centres if they have not yet received their booster.

Trust centres are also providing ongoing first and second doses for all eligible age groups and will open soon to the 40-49 year olds for their booster doses. People in the 50 plus age range now have a choice of waiting to be invited in by their GP for their booster, or going to a local pharmacy or the Trust Centres.

It is advised that boosters should now be offered to everyone aged 18 and over in order of descending age groups, with priority given to the vaccination of older adults and those in COVID-19 at-risk groups. The booster vaccination can now be given from three months of completion of the second dose of the vaccination.

The Health Minister stated, “I very much welcome the guidance which has been updated in light of the emerging situation with the Omicron variant.

“Our vaccination programme will continue to pull out all the stops to bring booster doses to all eligible age groups as quickly as possible.

“Our booster programme will now in many ways mirror the primary dose vaccination programme which steadily moved its way down through the different age groups over a number of months.

“We have now delivered more than three million COVID-19 jabs in Northern Ireland in under a year. That is a remarkable achievement by a health system under severe and relentless pressure.”

The Minister continued, “I would again urge people not to be put off getting their first, second or booster doses due to concerns or speculation about the Omicron variant.

“It remains very likely that vaccination will continue to protect against severe illness from Omicron as it does against other variants of COVID-19.

“In addition, our vaccines provide very good protection against the Delta variant, which remains the predominant strain in Northern Ireland at this point.”