Ireland’s vaccination programme has been extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds as of today.

On Twitter yesterday evening, HSE CEO Paul Reid tweeted: “Teenagers have sacrificed a lot throughout #covid19 & we should be proud of their response overall. Now, it’s their turn to be protected. 16 and 17-year-olds can register online to receive their vaccine. And we’ll be aiming to get these done promptly. They deserve it.”

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed that the 16/17 cohort would be able to book themselves a vaccine through the online portal as of today (June 27th), saying: “It’s important that we continue to get as many of our population vaccinated as soon as vaccines are available and following the safety advice of our experts.”

Those who go through the online portal will be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

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Registration for those age 16 and 17 for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment will start tomorrow, Tuesday.

It's important that we continue to get as many of our population vaccinated as soon as vaccines are available and following the safety advice of our experts. pic.twitter.com/obZmHN0MD1

— Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) July 26, 2021

Those eligible for the vaccine can book one here.

The announcement comes as Ireland awaits a delivery of 26,000 shots of the once-off Janssen vaccine that has been used to inoculate those in the 18-35 category. Concerns have been raised over whether supply can meet the enormous demand of young people seeking the vaccine.

As of yesterday, it is believed that 69% of Ireland’s adult population is fully vaccinated, with roughly 5.5 million total doses administered. 1,345 new cases of Covid were confirmed in Ireland yesterday, with 25 cases in the ICU.