More good news on the vaccination front.
The Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union has said that over 1,000 pharmacies have already applied to be involved in a scheme that will see Covid-19 vaccines made available at pharmacies.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly told the Seanad on Monday night that pharmacies would be involved in the vaccine programme as early as this month.
He said that it was the updated position as of a few hours ago and is "particularly important" for some areas of the country "that are further from the vaccination centres".
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, IPU Secretary General Darragh O'Loughlin has now said that pharmacists will initially deliver supplies of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine to other those over 50 who have yet to receive a Covid-19 jab.
He said that the mRNA vaccines will then likely be made available to those with difficulty travelling to vaccination centres.
He added that he is hopeful that making the vaccines available at local pharmacies will "improve the uptake" of the jabs.
It comes as the
Covid-19 vaccine portal is set to open for those aged 40-44 as of Wednesday, beginning with 44-year-olds.
The registration will then begin for those aged 43 on Thursday and continue on in this pattern throughout the following days.
Donnelly confirmed the news on Monday saying he was "delighted" to be able to share the news.
"Delighted to be able to share that the online registration for a Covid-19 vaccine for those aged 40-44 will commence this Wednesday, 2 June - starting with those aged 44 that day and those aged 43 on Thursday and so on," he said.
To register online for a vaccine, you will need a mobile phone number, an email address, your PPS number and your Eircode.
If you do not have these things, you are advised to call the Covid-19 helpline to register by phone instead.
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.
More than one million Covid vaccine doses have been administered in May, taking the total number administered so far to an incredible 2.7 million across the country.
Earlier this week, Donnelly confirmed that half of Ireland's adult population has now had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
The Government has now introduced a new goal to vaccinate 60% of the population fully by the end of July.
