CHILDREN OVER the age of 12 in Ireland will be offered a Covid-19 vaccine within weeks, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has announced.
As part of Ireland's continued fight against the coronavirus pandemic, children across the nation will be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine after the National Immunisation Advisory Committee updated its advice to recommend that children receive the jab.
Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry confirmed to RTÉ News today that the rollout of vaccines for children over 12 will begin in the coming weeks following the implementation of changes to the vaccine portal to allow parents to give consent for their child to register for the jab.
Dr Henry told the outlet that the HSE is currently preparing the consent forms "that parents will need to consider and make the right decision for their child".
Children aged between 12- 15 will require parental consent to receive the vaccine (Stock image / Getty)The announcement comes after older teenagers became eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week, with thousands of young people having been vaccinated in recent days.
The NIAC has recommended that every child aged between 12 and 15 be offered an mRNA vaccine, and that any child of that age living with underlying medical conditions, or with a younger family member with complex medical needs, or an adult with a compromised immune system, should take the vaccine as soon as it is offered to them.
Today, Ireland recorded a further 1,352 new cases of Covid-19 as the country grapples with the highly contagious Delta variant: 177 COVID-19 patients are in hospital, with 27 of those patients in intensive care.
However, no further deaths were reported.
74.2% of Irish adults have now received both their jabs,with more than 5.8 million vaccines administered across the country.
