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Sam Boal

HSE opens new online self-scheduler to book booster vaccine appointments

The scheduling system will offer more than 3,000 individual appointments for four initial clinics from tomorrow morning.

THE HSE HAS opened an online self-scheduler to allow people to book their own appointment for a Covid-19 booster vaccine at a number of vaccination centres. 

The scheduling system, similar to the one currently used to book PCR tests, will offer more than 3,000 individual appointments from tomorrow morning.

The appointments are available at Croke Park in Dublin, the National Show Centre in Swords, Co Dublin, the Astro Active Centre in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, and Scoil Carmel in Limerick, which will start on Thursday morning. 

People can avail of the booster at a vaccination centre using the self-scheduler if they are:

  • aged 40 and older
  • pregnant and aged 30 and over
  • living in a nursing home or a long-term healthcare facility
  • a healthcare worker aged 30 and over
  • aged 30 or over and have an underlying condition

Appointments are only available to those aged 30 or over because the initial clinics will use the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine.

The HSE said results from the initial rollout will inform the further use of the scheduler at a wider range of centres over the next week.

It said it will to continue to operate a combination of clinics as it moves through the booster Covid-19 programme.

“We will still have walk-in clinics and scheduled appointment clinics, in addition to these new self-scheduled clinics,” it said.

“We hope this new option will facilitate people in availing of the booster dose as soon as possible, to better protect themselves and their families and communities from serious illness caused by Covid-19.”

The online self-scheduler is available on the HSE website.

It comes after the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that those who are fully vaccinated who have had a breakthrough Covid infection will be able to avail of a booster after three months, down from six months. 

The move comes about following a recommendation from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and has been endorsed by the Health Minister.

In a statement this evening, Donnelly has said that Department of Health and the HSE will now work on operationalising the change.

The minister described it as “an important step” given the current epidemiological situation.

“I welcome this update to our booster vaccination programme. As with the update to the programme I announced last week, decreasing the interval for booster doses in those who have had a breakthrough infection is an important step given Ireland’s current epidemiological situation,” he said.

“The emergence of Omicron has prompted this amendment, specifically the significant concerns we have about the risk of re-infection which is estimated to be approximately five-fold higher with Omicron compared to the Delta strain.”

This evening, public health officials confirmed 5,279 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. As of 8am today, 443 patients are in hospital with the virus, of whom 102 are in ICU.

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    Mute Munster1
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:12 PM

    Destroyed for farms so they can sell Europe and the world cheap meat.

    278
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    Mute DERRY1973
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:18 PM

    @Munster1: soya bean more like.

    88
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    Mute john smith iv
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:35 PM

    @Munster1: if that is happening (I’m sure that the EU is mostly sufficient in beef) then get on to your MEP to ban it.

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    Mute Monty Donotno
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:42 PM

    @Munster1: more like destroyed for soya bean so they can sell Europe and the world cheap feed for producing meat and milk in their own countries while their governments pretend to care.

    40
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    Mute Bitcoin Buddy
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    IMF / ECB / WEF Wanting Ireland to slow down meat production while backhanding SA deforestation for cheaper meat.

    155
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    Mute Reg
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:32 PM

    Depressing.

    130
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    Mute Andy mc Laughlin
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:51 PM

    I am by no means a tree hugger but you would have to be deluded to think that this isn’t a bad thing.

    129
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    Mute Chief
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    Oh, Manhattan eh. Just down the road from almost none of us.

    105
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    Mute David Duffy
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:57 AM

    @Chief: do you not normally measure your rainforests in Manhattan’s?

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 9:15 AM

    @Chief: 6 * Manhattan =~ (3 * Dublin) + (1 * Athlone)

    14
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    Mute David Geraghty
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:24 PM

    Is there nowhere with an area six times the size of Manhattan that could have been referred to in the title. Or I don’t know, just say the specific figure

    92
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    Mute Ixtrix Net
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:20 PM

    @David Geraghty:
    A little larger than Grenada, or a little smaller than Mayotte. It says nearly 360km² in the article

    18
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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:42 PM

    @David Geraghty: Manhattan is now a measurement of area since our stupid obsession with all things NY and the sheer amount of times Hollywood shove it down our throats as the default way a city should look, anything that’s ever happened that’s of any interest has happened in NY and your life is just bleak if you’re beyond bridge and tunnel, unless you’re from LA of course. Isle of Man is about 6 Manhattans.

    52
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    Mute John Johnes
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    A great reason for our gov to tax Irish citizen.

    84
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:17 AM

    @John Johnes: John I doubt you pay much tax if your intellect and comments on here are anything to go pay.

    24
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:21 AM

    @Alan Biddulph: By*

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    Mute Tom Gahan
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 6:33 PM

    @John Johnes: Yes indeed and put a bag of coal or a fill of heating oil to unaffordable heights.

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    Mute andrew
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:50 PM

    Absolutely dreadful and Bolsonaro is a right piece of work neglecting the Amazon rainforest and the indegenous people

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    Mute Hear me now
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:09 PM

    Handed paradise & what do we do…

    63
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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 9:24 AM

    @Hear me now: Lose it, and write poetry about it?

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    Mute SandraMeyler
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 7:22 AM

    Send Eamon Ryan there for a few years
    He will sort it

    22
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:14 AM

    @SandraMeyler: Good one Sandra! At least your recycled joke is renewable.

    19
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    Mute Will
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:35 PM

    For some perspective, over 60% of Brazil is covered in forest. The figure for Ireland is 12% and that has decreased slightly in the last 20 years.
    When we plant forest we tend to plant non native spruce and the like. This acidifies the soil and leads to a dead forest with little or no biodiversity. We plant for purely commercial reasons. Easy to point the finger at Brazil and tut.
    When you look at Brazils fast increasing population it is no wonder it leads to deforestation on a grand scale. Populists like Bolsonaro aren’t going to stand in the way when there’s money to be made. This leads to jobs which leads to votes. It’s a no brainer for him. Would our lot be any different given the circumstances?

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    Mute Michael Dowling
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:47 PM

    This is where the greens should be lobbying not taxing the Irish.

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    Mute Liam Mc Meel
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:06 AM

    Make a nice theme park out if that stretch of land

    4
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