HSE Partner Pack 10th December 2021

Public Health Measures 

You can find the public health measures here.  

COVID-19 is still spreading in our communities.

Vaccines are proven to be your best protection against serious illness from COVID-19, alongside the day to day protective measures we all need to keep in mind - clean hands, masks, leaving space. 

New information videos in nine languages to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19

A new COVID-19 vaccine information video has been produced in a range of languages and the videos are now live on the HSE’s YouTube channel and being shared on social media. 

The multilingual videos were created by the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office and National Immunisation Office in partnership with Translate Ireland. It is hoped that the videos will be a helpful source of information about COVID-19 vaccination for people who are living in Ireland and whose primary language is not English. The videos are available in the following languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Georgian, Hungarian, Russian, and Turkish. More languages will be added in the coming days.

Walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69

The HSE is operating some walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69. You must wait at least 5 months after your second vaccine dose before you can get your booster. If you had the single-dose Janssen vaccine, you must wait at least 3 months.

See times and locations of the walk-in vaccination clinics here.  

COVID-19 Testing - Online Booking System

Full details of how to get tested are available here.

Common symptoms include high temp, dry cough and change in sense of taste or smell. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, it's very important to self-isolate and get tested as soon as possible. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme 

You can find the latest information on vaccines administered here.

Vaccines are making a difference

Every COVID-19 vaccine makes a difference, helping to reduce the amount of severe illness caused by COVID-19. We thank everyone who has already had their COVID-19 vaccine. If you haven’t registered yet, or someone in your network has yet to do so, they can:

• Check hse.ie for answers they can trust about the COVID-19 vaccines
• Talk to a pharmacist or GP – many are giving mRNA vaccines
• Call HSElive on 1800 700 700

or

• Register online to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you cannot register online, you can call the COVID-19 helpline at Freephone: 1800 700 700 to register by phone.

Find a pharmacy giving COVID-19 vaccines

Many pharmacies are now offering COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 12 and over. Find a pharmacy to book your vaccine appointment. You can find more information here.

Where to find COVID-19 Vaccination Information

We encourage everyone to read about the COVID-19 vaccine and to get their information from a factual, trusted source – here are the links to the pages with information on the vaccine:

• Check here for information about the vaccine, information on this page is updated regularly
• Find the vaccine information materials at hse.ie/covid19vaccinematerials
• Details on COVID-19 vaccines administered are available here
• Read the full COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy
• Read the National Immunisation Advisory Committee Chapter about COVID-19 vaccine
• COVID-19 vaccine information for health professionals
• Information in Irish Sign Language: information resources on the COVID-19 vaccines in Irish  Sign Language are available here
• COVID-19 vaccines easy read and accessible information formats are available here
• Translated resources are available here

Free flu vaccine for all at-risk groups

It’s flu season and while anyone can catch the flu, some people are more at risk of catching the flu, getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. The HSE encourages all at-risk groups to make an appointment with their GP or Pharmacist for their free flu vaccine. People at risk include all children aged 2 to 17, those aged 65 or over, people with certain long term conditions, and pregnant women. It’s the best way to be protected from the flu. Find a participating pharmacy

Free nasal spray for all children

Children are twice as likely as adults to catch the flu, which can sometimes cause serious illness. That's why all children aged 2 to 17 can now get their free, nasal spray flu vaccine. It’s a safe and effective way to protect them, and the rest of the family too. Visit www.hse.ie/flu for more information.

Flu and COVID-19

The flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses. The flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19. If you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine, you should still have the flu vaccine. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine. Visit www.hse.ie/flu

Flu Vaccine is available for healthcare workers in Section 39 organisations

Flu vaccine and its administration are available free of charge to healthcare workers working in Section 39 organisations. Flu vaccine is available from a local GP or pharmacy or some workplaces provide flu vaccine through an occupational health clinic.

Visit www.hse.ie/flu for information about why it’s important for healthcare workers to get their flu vaccine.

Layer up

Posters and guidance for you to use and share to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your community are available here from the Department of Health. We would be grateful if you would help share the resources and messages with your networks, colleagues, friends and in your buildings.

HSE Health and Wellbeing Christmas Concert 2021

All of our partner organisations are invited to join us for the HSE Health and Wellbeing Staff Christmas Concert webinar on Tuesday, 21st December from 4pm to 5.30pm.  Register to attend the Christmas Concert here. 

The concert will include performances from staff and special guests from across the country. In addition to Zoom, the concert will be streamed live from HSE Health and Wellbeing on YouTube, where a recording will be available to watch back following the event.

HSE Health and Wellbeing Countdown to Christmas Calendar

You are invited to download the new #StaffHealthCountdown calendar here to help keep your wellbeing in check for the coming weeks.

The Health & Wellbeing E-zine

 The Health & Wellbeing E-zine is available here. 

Public Health Information

For updated information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

Please check here for the most up to date partner resources for COVID-19.

You can find translated resources here.

You can find the COVID-19 A-Z information here from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Please also check the Healthy Ireland site here with further resources and information on the Keep Well campaign.

You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 here.

Ireland’s COVID-19 Data Hub is available here.

If your organisation has any requests in relation to COVID-19 public health information materials, please reply directly to this email to let us know.

Many thanks and best wishes,

Kahlil and Sandra

COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement, HSE Communications