Those aged between 18-24 who would like to opt-in for the viral vector COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are being invited to register online from Tuesday. The invitation is only for people aged 18-24, including those within this age range who may be in another vaccine allocation group and are not yet vaccinated.
The quickest and easiest way to register is online with a Personal Public Service (PPS) number, Eircode, a mobile phone number and an email address. Alternatively, people can call HSELive on 1800 700 700 to register on the phone. People who don’t have a PPSN can also be vaccinated and can register on the phone with HSElive. Once successfully registered, the HSE will send people their appointment details by text message. People who register will be given an appointment at an HSE vaccination centre. The HSE is expecting to invite people aged 18-24 to register for mRNA vaccines from next week.
The mRNA vaccines are the recommended vaccines for everyone under the age of 50. When registering, people can also choose to opt for a viral vector vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine, as this may become available earlier than an mRNA vaccine. People opting in may be offered an earlier appointment because the AstraZeneca vaccine may be available before the mRNA vaccine.
Your appointment text will let you know which vaccine is being offered. People aged 18-34 can also choose to get a Janssen vaccine at a participating pharmacy, depending on supplies. The Janssen vaccine is a viral vector vaccine.
Online consent
People who register and are scheduled for vaccination at an HSE Vaccination Centre will also receive an SMS with a link that allows them to give consent to accept their allocated vaccine online before they attend for their vaccination. The text message includes a link to further information on their vaccine, as well as a link to answer some medical questions and give consent. This step is designed to make it as simple and quick as possible for people to get their vaccines.
People are asked not to attend for their vaccination with children. If people have difficulty finding childcare for their appointment time, they can find options and read more at www.hse.ie/vacctr