HSE encourage parents to book Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 as portal opens

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A child receiving a Covid vaccine

Parents are now being encouraged by the HSE to book a Covid-19 vaccine online for all children aged five to 11 from today.

From Sunday, 20 February 2022, your child can get an appointment for a number of clinics.

Dr Lucy Jessop, Director of Public Health, National Immunisation Office outlined: “The HSE is now expanding access to clinics for parents and guardians of children, aged five to 11, with our online booking option.

“It will give them an opportunity to bring their child for the vaccine at a time that suits them. We appreciate that parents/guardians are busy and we want to help make it as accessible as possible.

“Next week’s midterm also gives parents another option to bring their children for a Covid-19 vaccine and we are encouraging parents and guardians to bring them along to one of our vaccination centres.

“Parents and guardians should get their information from a trusted source, such as hse.ie or a medical professional when making the decision to vaccinate their child.”

Damien McCallion, HSE National Lead for Vaccinations said: “We understand that parents want information about the Covid-19 vaccine for this age group and would always encourage parents to find this information from trusted sources.

“Today, we are offering parents the opportunity to choose a time and clinic that suits them.

“We understand that parents are busy and this will give them more flexibility. The mid-term break also offers an ideal opportunity for parents or guardians to arrange this.”

There are separate vaccine clinics for people aged 12 years and over, and another clinic for those aged five to 11 years old.

It is important to book the correct clinic for your child’s age group as the vaccine offered is different for young children.

For those aged five to 15 year olds, a parent or legal guardian must book their appointment and give consent for their vaccination. Children also need to attend with a parent or guardian. Children attending alone will not be vaccinated.

If your child had their first dose at a “five to 11 year old” clinic, they must also get their second dose at a clinic for the same age group, even if they turned 12 after their first dose.

If the person getting vaccinated recently had Covid, they need to wait at least four weeks before getting their next dose and to book the second dose, you must wait at least 21 days after the first dose.

If possible, your child should bring a form of identification with their date of birth on it such as a passport or birth certificate.

You can book their appointment here.

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