THE NUMBER OF community pharmacies administering the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will double this week to over 700 nationwide, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has confirmed.
This comes as the first vaccinations for children aged 12 to 15 are expected to be administered this weekend.
Since June, when Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced the expansion of the vaccination programme to pharmacies, community pharmacists have administered close to 200,000 vaccines.
Some 320 pharmacies have already been administering Pfizer vaccines, among almost 1,000 pharmacies who have also been offering the Janssen vaccine.
Over 700 pharmacies had originally indicated their availability to administer the Pfizer jabs, according to the IPU, and from this week on these will now receive stock to begin vaccinations.
The IPU said it is anticipated that the Pfizer vaccine will now continue as the mainstay of the pharmacy-based campaign against the virus. It added that any remaining stock of the Janssen vaccine can be administered to adults in participating pharmacies until they are used up.
Vaccination centres will continue to be the primary location for the administration of the vaccines to 12 to 15-year-olds, the IPU said, adding that pharmacies will strongly augment this, ensuring appropriate geographical access taking account of distance from vaccination centres.
“The HSE is providing appropriate operational guidance including procedures for parental consent where pharmacists will be on hand to provide information and advice as they administer the vaccine,” IPU secretary general Darragh O’Loughlin said.
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