Another milestone as COVID-19 vaccines open up to 30-34 age group

Appointments are mainly available at the vaccine centre at the SSE Arena in Belfast and those eligible will be able to book from 10.00am today. Subject to vaccine availability, participating community pharmacies will also be able to take appointments.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: “It is worth remembering the progress that our vaccination programme has made in a relatively short period of time. In less than five months we have vaccinated almost one million people and thousands of our citizens have been able to receive the vaccine well ahead of schedule.

“I know that we all long for a sustainable return to more normal times and vaccination offers the best hope for this. Uptake is very encouraging and I’m pleased that we are moving so quickly through the cohorts. We have a limited number of slots that we can now offer to those aged 30 to 34, so if you’re eligible I would urge you to step forward and take the opportunity to get the jab.”

If possible, booking should be done online at: covid-19.hscni.net/get-vaccinatedHowever, where online booking is not possible, the telephone booking number is 0300 200 7813.

People making bookings are asked to be patient, as demand for appointments will be strong. The ongoing roll-out of the vaccination programme will continue to be dependent on the availability of vaccine supplies.

Also going live today is a new Vaccination Management System (VMS) dashboard, which provides a greater level of detail about the vaccination programme. It replaces the previous manual system which relied on a variety of platforms with differing reporting mechanisms. Further information on the vaccine roll-out will be provided in the coming weeks, as the dashboard evolves.