HSE Partner Pack 22nd December 2021

Public Health Measures 

You can find the public health measures here.  

HSE information and expert advice on the COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year olds

The HSE has published new information and guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for children. This information aims to help parents and guardians of 5-11 year old children make an informed decision when it’s time for their child to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. 

• Registration for vaccines for this age group will open shortly. This will be publicised widely to ensure parents and guardians are informed.
• Children with high-risk conditions, or who live with someone who is more at risk, will be offered the vaccine first. Parents and guardians will be able to register their child for their vaccine online.

Read information and advice on the COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year olds here. 

Read the information leaflet for parents and guardians here. 

HSE ‘Heads Up’ campaign asks people to take steps to slow the spread of COVID-19
The  second ad in our ‘Heads Up’ campaign reminds people of the things they can do to reduce their COVID risk. The new TV ad shows how taking steps like opening a window to help ventilate a room, continuing to keep hands clean, wearing a mask and showing your COVID cert where necessary, can all help lower the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

We would be grateful if you would help share this information with your members, networks and colleagues. You can view and share the TV ad: 

Find the ad in English here. 

Find the ad in Irish here. 

Walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 40 and older

Walk-in booster clinics are open for people aged 40 years and older, pregnant women and healthcare workers at certain vaccination centres. Some dose 1 and 2 walk-in clinics are also open.

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 a PCR test as soon as possible. Please do this even if you are part or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You can find more information here.

Close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19

If you are a close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19, please find guidance here. 

If you test positive for COVID-19

If you test positive for COVID-19 you will get a text message. This will include a link to a website where you can upload contact details for your close contacts. If you do not use the website, a contact tracer will phone you to collect the details. You can find more information here.

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 those aged 50 or over, children aged 2 to 17, people with certain long term conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers. It’s the best way to be protected from the flu. Find a participating pharmacy.

Keep well this winter

Information is available here including:

• Your guide to keeping well this winter
• How to manage common illnesses
• Advice on when to get emergency help

Minor injuries

Injury units are for the treatment of minor injuries that are unlikely to need admission to hospital. So of it is a sprain, break or minor burn, head to your local injury unit. You can find more information here.

HSE’s National Medical Card Unit call centre number is 0818 22 44 78

We wanted to let you know that the HSE’s National Medical Card Unit contact number has been changed to 0818 22 44 78. A medical card gives you access to medical services, prescription medicines and hospital care for free. All of our information about medical cards is on HSE.ie.

But if you have a query about medical cards and need to contact our call centre you can call us at 0818 22 44 78.  

Needing support for grief?

If you, or a loved one, are grieving or bereaved and need some extra help at the moment, the HSE and Irish Hospice Foundation have information and support available, which are outlined in our article in thejournal.ie

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