Over-18s can now register for Covid-19 mRna vaccine

All adults aged 18 and over can now register for a Covid-19 mRna vaccine from this morning.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said on Tuesday that registration for the Pfizer and Moderna jabs for anyone over 18 is happening now "because our vaccination programme is ahead of schedule and continues to perform really well".

Almost 5.3 million Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to date, with more than 79 per cent of the adult population partially vaccinated and over 65 per cent fully vaccinated, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said on Wednesday.

“Our vaccination programme has been under much understandable public scrutiny. As it now opens to those aged 18-24 to register online, feeling quite proud of everyone involved,” he said.

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Ireland currently has the highest rolling 7-day average of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people in the total population, according to figures published by Our World in Data.

Ireland’s rolling 7-day average is 1.27 Covid-19 vaccine doses administered daily per 100 people.

Registration for people aged between 18 and 34 who want to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine opened earlier this week.

Those aged between 18 and 34 can also currently receive the one-shot Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (J&J) jab from about 800 participating pharmacies around the country.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) recently changed its advice to allow people aged under 40 to receive the J&J and AstraZeneca shots as the State seeks to widen the vaccine rollout amid concern about the spread of the Delta variant.

A further 1,110 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the State by the Department of Health on Tuesday.

There were 21 people receiving treatment for Covid-19 in intensive care with a further 89 in hospital, according to figures issued yesterday evening.

Almost 7,700 cases have been detected in the last seven days, an increase of 88 per cent on the previous week.