We hope this message finds you well.

Thank you for your continuing support in helping to share information about COVID-19. Our highlight communications updates for you from this week are:

• COVID-19 vaccine booster:  People aged 50 and older, healthcare workers and people aged 16 and over with a high risk condition can now get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

It is very important to get your COVID-19 vaccine booster when it is due. Without a booster, you are more at risk of serious illness if you get COVID-19. There are now even more ways to get your COVID-19 booster.

If you’re over 50, a healthcare worker or over 16 with a high risk condition you can:

1. Go to a walk-in vaccination clinic. Visit hse.ie/covid19vaccine for clinic times and locations.
2. You’ll get an appointment by text message from the HSE. If it doesn’t suit you can reschedule or go to a walk-in clinic.
3. Contact a participating pharmacy. Visit hse.ie/covid19vaccine for a list of pharmacies in your area.

 

Some GPs are also vaccinating their patients.

• Who will get a COVID-19 vaccine booster next: Booster doses will soon be offered to people aged 16 years and older who are pregnant, and to people aged 16 to 49 – in stages with older age groups being called first. You can find more information here.
• How long to wait before getting a COVID-19 vaccine booster: You now need to wait 3 months (at least 90 days) after your vaccine course before you can get a booster.
• Flu vaccine for people aged 50 to 64: Anyone aged 50 to 64 can now get a free flu vaccine from their GP or pharmacy. It’s still available for people aged 65 or over, children aged 2 to 17, people with certain long term conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. Visit hse.ie/flu

 

Public Health Measures 

You can find the public health measures here.

HSE information and expert advice on the COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year olds

The HSE has published new information and guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for children. This information aims to help parents and guardians of 5-11 year old children make an informed decision when it’s time for their child to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine.

• Registration for vaccines for this age group will open shortly. This will be publicised widely to ensure parents and guardians are informed.
• Children with high-risk conditions, or who live with someone who is more at risk, will be offered the vaccine first. Parents and guardians will be able to register their child for their vaccine online.

Read information and advice on the COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year olds here.

Read the information leaflet for parents and guardians here.

 

HSE ‘Heads Up’ campaign asks people to take steps to slow the spread of COVID-19
The  second ad in our ‘Heads Up’ campaign reminds people of the things they can do to reduce their COVID risk. The new TV ad shows how taking steps like opening a window to help ventilate a room, continuing to keep hands clean, wearing a mask and showing your COVID cert where necessary, can all help lower the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

We would be grateful if you would help share this information with your members, networks and colleagues. You can view and share the TV ad:

Find the ad in English here.

Find the ad in Irish here.

 

Walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69

The HSE is operating some walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69. You need to wait 3 months (at least 90 days) after your vaccine course before you can get a booster.

See times and locations of the walk-in vaccination clinics here.

 

COVID-19 Testing – Online Booking System

Full details of how to get tested are available here.

Common symptoms include high temp, dry cough and change in sense of taste or smell. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, it’s very important to self-isolate and get a PCR test as soon as possible. Please do this even if you are part or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You can find more information here.

 

Close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19

If you are a close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19, please find guidance here.

 

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

You can find the latest information on vaccines administered here.

Vaccines are making a difference

Every COVID-19 vaccine makes a difference, helping to reduce the amount of severe illness caused by COVID-19. We thank everyone who has already had their COVID-19 vaccine. If you haven’t registered yet, or someone in your network has yet to do so, they can:

• Check hse.ie for answers they can trust about the COVID-19 vaccines
• Talk to a pharmacist or GP – many are giving mRNA vaccines
• Call HSElive on 1800 700 700

or

• Register online to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you cannot register online, you can call the COVID-19 helpline at Freephone: 1800 700 700 to register by phone.

 

Find a pharmacy giving COVID-19 vaccines

Many pharmacies are now offering COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 12 and over. Find a pharmacy to book your vaccine appointment. You can find more information here.

Where to find COVID-19 Vaccination Information

We encourage everyone to read about the COVID-19 vaccine and to get their information from a factual, trusted source – here are the links to the pages with information on the vaccine:

• Check here for information about the vaccine, information on this page is updated regularly
• Find the vaccine information materials at hse.ie/covid19vaccinematerials
• Details on COVID-19 vaccines administered are available here
• Read the full COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy
• Read the National Immunisation Advisory Committee Chapter about COVID-19 vaccine
• COVID-19 vaccine information for health professionals
• Information in Irish Sign Language: information resources on the COVID-19 vaccines in Irish  Sign Language are available here
• COVID-19 vaccines easy read and accessible information formats are available here
• Translated resources are available here

 

New COVID-19 vaccination information videos in Ukranian, Romanian and Latvian

The new COVID-19 vaccination information video that encourages people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is now available in three additional languages: Ukranian, Romanian and Latvian. This brings to 13 the number of languages that this video message is now available in. The new videos are now live on the HSE’s YouTube channel and being shared on social media.

The videos were created by the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office and National Immunisation Office in partnership with Translate Ireland. It is hoped that the videos will be a helpful source of information about COVID-19 vaccination for people who are living in Ireland and whose primary language is not English.

 

‘About the Irish Health Service – a guide for refugees and other migrants’ poster with QR codes in 15 languages now available

‘About the Irish health service – a guide for refugees and other migrants’ is now available in poster format via QR codes. The QR codes can be scanned by smart phone, which will then bring you to the guide booklet. There are 15 QR codes on the poster, one for each of the following languages: English, Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Farsi, French, Georgian, Kurdish, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Somali, Spanish, Urdu.

Click here to access the Irish Health Service poster with QR codes.

Click here to download the booklets from the HSE website.

The guide was developed by the HSE’s National Social Inclusion office in response to a need for clear and accessible information on Irish Health Services and how to use these effectively. The guide has received National Adult Literary Agency (NALA) Plain English approval and is in three parts:

• Part 1 gives information on how to access different types of healthcare, free services, and how the GP, Pharmacy and hospital systems work.
• Part 2 gives information about specialist services (dental treatments, eye tests, hearing aids, vaccinations) and some of the staff you may meet in the health system.
• Part 3 advises what to do in an emergency.

 

Free flu vaccine for all at-risk groups

It’s flu season and while anyone can catch the flu, some people are more at risk of catching the flu, getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. The HSE encourages all at-risk groups to make an appointment with their GP or Pharmacist for their free flu vaccine. People at risk include those aged 50 or over, children aged 2 to 17, people with certain long term conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. It’s the best way to be protected from the flu. Find a participating pharmacy.

 

Keep well this winter

Information is available here including:

• Your guide to keeping well this winter
• How to manage common illnesses
• Advice on when to get emergency help

 

New creative launched for condom promotion campaign

The HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP) has refreshed creative assets for the ‘Because’ condom promotion campaign.

The campaign, which first launched in November 2019, is aimed at young adults (aged 18–30) who are at increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Find out more about the campaign and download new social media assets in the campaign pack at the bottom of this message.

 

Public Health Information

For updated information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

Please check here for the most up to date partner resources for COVID-19.

You can find translated resources here.

You can find the COVID-19 A-Z information here from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Please also check the Healthy Ireland site here with further resources and information on the Keep Well campaign.

You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 here.

Ireland’s COVID-19 Data Hub is available here.

If your organisation has any requests in relation to COVID-19 public health information materials, please reply directly to this email to let us know.

 

Many thanks and best wishes,

Kahlil and Sandra

COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement, HSE Communications