30-39 age group to be allowed register for Covid-19 vaccine from next week

More good news on the vaccination front.

Those aged 30-39 will be allowed to register for their Covid-19 vaccination from next week, The Irish Times reported on Wednesday.

Ministers were updated on the vaccination progress at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting and were told that the HSE expects to administer between 250,000-280,000 vaccine doses this week, according to the publication.

The portal is expected to open for the age bracket next week beginning with those aged 39 and working backwards throughout the subsequent days. The vaccine rollout programme has definitely been picking up speed recently as it only opened for the 40-44 age group last week. The registrations can be made on the HSE website and you'll need to have the following on hand:

• Your PPS Number
• Eircode
• Mobile phone number
• Email address

It comes as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed on Sunday that the goal of vaccinating three million people with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine was hit over the course of the bank holiday weekend.

In a video address about the vaccination rollout programme, he said: “We are hitting three million vaccine doses administered." "We have had a huge response from everyone who is eligible for the vaccine so far," he continued. “To those that aren’t yet eligible, let me promise you, let me assure you that we are doing everything we can to make sure that you get an option for a vaccine as soon as possible.” Everyone from the ages of 40 to 69 can now register for their first dose via the online vaccination portal and Donnelly himself received his first dose of the vaccine on Saturday. The Health Minister said that the government plans to get vaccines "out the doors" and administer them to other age cohorts "as soon as is possible." For more information on how to register for a Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland using the new portal, check out JOE's handy guide here.