The news comes after at least 18.000 people receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine after attending one of the 26 walk-in vaccination clinics across the country this bank holiday weekend.
Speaking to
RTE News yesterday, Chief Clinical Officer with the HSE confirms they expect to begin vaccinating children aged between 12 and 15 within the next two weeks.
Approximately 280,000 children aged 12-15 will become eligible for the Pfizer vaccine following updated guidance from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
Dr Henry reveals that the HSE is working on some outstanding logistical issues before opening the portal.
"We've got to prepare the consent forms that parents will need to consider and make the right decision for their child."
He also says the HSE is also looking closely at the information it will give to the public regarding the efficacy of vaccines and the benefits for children, and confirms that the Health Service Executive's IT systems are also being retooled to accommodate this new age group.
As well as administering vaccines to the younger age groups, Dr Henry said the HSE is also working on a plan that would potentially see a booster jab being administered later in the year along with the annual flu jab.
This follows preliminary advice from NIAC last week regarding a third shot.
Initially it would target at-risk groups, including older people and those with an underlying health condition, who ''may benefit from a booster jab,'' Dr Henry said.
''We are looking closely about how they can align this with the flu vaccination programme because there are many similarities to what a booster campaign would look like in terms of the timing of the year and the target groups."
