People will be able to walk into local pharmacies to get their Covid jabs before the end of next week.
The trial programme will see 15 pharmacists taking part in the initial phase, with special IT systems and Operation Guides now in place to ensure a smooth running from the off.
It is part of the further rollout of the vaccination programme into the community that will make it easier and more comfortable for thousands more to get their jab locally.
Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE, Dr Colm Henry, will reveal the details at the Oireachtas health committee on Tuesday.
In a HSE briefing document presented to the politician committee members ahead of today’s meeting, the basics of the pharmacy element of the programme are outlined, along with the commitment to commence it before the end of April.
Friday of next week is April 30, the last day of April, so it will logically be by then that the pharmacies will have started administering jabs.
The briefing document states: “The HSE has been working with the pharmacy sector in recent months, including representatives from Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) to enable community pharmacists to join the programme as vaccinators.
“An agreed Operating Guidance has been issued together with the commencement of an expression of interest process which has issued to the pharmacy sector to determine those that would be in a position to join the programme.
“In addition a technology solution has been developed to enable pharmacists to work with the programme.
“This is due for trial with 15 pharmacies towards the end of April.”
There will be further technical details of the vaccination programme provided at today’s meeting, including the promise to start giving vaccines to people “aged 59 and under that are key workers to the vaccination programme” and people “aged 16-59 years with medical conditions at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease.”
