The College Health Service has invited students and staff with certain medical conditions to register to receive a coronavirus vaccine.
The Health Service has said it can now open registration to people under 60 who meet the criteria in group 4a or group seven in the government’s Vaccine Allocation Plan.
In a college-wide email, Medical Director of the College Health Service David McGrath said that staff and students over 60 are currently able to register for vaccination, and the service will now allow the next groups in the Vaccine Priority Allocation list to register
Group four comprises people aged 16 to 69 “with a medical condition that puts them at very high risk of severe disease and death” if they catch coronavirus. Group seven comprises people with underlying conditions that put them at “high risk of severe disease and death” if they get the virus.
Group four includes those with diabetes, obesity, chronic respiratory disease, or severe mental health illness, subject to certain conditions.
Group seven includes those with “moderately severe” COPD, chronic heart disease, cancer, chronic kidney, liver or neurological disease, and those who are immunocompromised. This cohort also includes the remainder of those with diabetes, obesity, and chronic respiratory disease, including severe asthma.
Staff and students who have any of these medical conditions can now complete a form to be considered for vaccination.
In the email, McGrath said: “We are looking forward to commencing on-campus vaccination shortly and would ask you to continue to check your emails as, although you may not fulfil the criteria for groups 4a and 7, we will continue to work our way through the Vaccine Priority Groups until everyone is offered a Vaccine.”
“We expect to hear from the HSE this week regarding our delivery of Pfizer/Moderna vaccine for these groups and will contact you with an appointment.”
Ireland is set to received one million extra doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this year, after the EU agreed to purchase an additional 100 million doses.
Last week, the HSE cancelled all AstraZeneca clinics for those under 60 following reports of severe blood clots as an extremely rare side effect to the vaccine.
