UL HOSPITALS’ Group vaccination teams will be holding scheduled walk-in vaccinations clinics this weekend for people aged 12 years and older who have not yet received a first or second vaccine dose.
The group has revealed the total number of Covid-19 vaccines delivered under the vaccination programme has now exceeded 400,000.
These walk-in clinics are strictly for Dose 1 and Dose 2 vaccines, and should not be attended by anyone seeking a third vaccine dose.
Walk-in clinics administering Pfizer Dose 1 and 2 will be held at the Mid-West Covid-19 Vaccination Centres in Limerick on Saturday and Sunday, and Nenagh on Sunday.
There will be no walk-in clinics in Ennis this weekend, due to that centre’s temporary relocation from the West County Hotel to the grounds of Ennis Hospital.
Clinics will be held in Limerick Racecourse for Pfizer Dose 1 and 2 on Saturday between 4 and 7pm and Sunday from 3 to 6pm.
People can also receive Pfizer Dose 1 and 2 in Nenagh Abbey Court Hotel on Sunday from 4 to 7pm.
Anyone attending a walk-in clinic for Dose 2 should bring their vaccine record card. A minimum of 21 days must have passed after Pfizer Dose 1 before Dose 2 is administered.
The interval is 28 days for people who have received AstraZeneca Dose 1 and are presenting for Pfizer Dose 2.
However anyone presenting, whether for Dose 1 or Dose 2, and who has received a Covid-positive swab, should not attend for vaccination until 28 days after the date of the Covid-positive result.
No appointment is necessary for these walk-in clinics, and there is no requirement to register on the national vaccine registration portal. However, children under 16 years must be accompanied to centres by a parent or guardian.
For identification, anyone attending should bring their birth certificate, or a photo ID such as driving licence, public services card, travel pass, passport, garda-issued National Age Card, or school or college ID.
For queries, contact the local HSE-approved helpline number on 087-9681240 9am-6pm, seven days a week.
All walk-in clinic dates and times and related information will be published on the HSE website here. Outside of these walk-in clinics, parents or guardians of children aged 12 to 15 may continue to register children on the HSE website via this link.
UL Hospitals’ Group vaccination teams have delivered more than 400,000 Covid-19 vaccines since the Mid-West vaccination programme began on January 4th. This includes doses delivered under the Covid-19 vaccine booster programmes for people aged 80 and older, for those aged 65 and over who live in long-term residential care facilities, and for healthcare workers, as well as the Dose 3 programme for people with weakened immune systems who do not generate the full immune response to the first two vaccine doses.
The total does not include the vaccination work undertaken to date by our colleagues in HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service, General Practitioners and pharmacists.
The group continues working to ensure that everyone in the Mid-West will receive a vaccine, in line with national guidance on Covid-19 vaccination. The group urge anyone in the region who has not received a Dose 1 or Dose 2 vaccine to attend these walk-in clinics.
Anyone with queries about Covid-19 vaccination may contact the national helpline on 1850-241850.
Dan Danaher
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.