Walk-in clinics open all week

The booster vaccination campaign against Covid-19 continues apace with huge crowds turning up for walk in clinics.

The HSE has confirmed it is holding walk in clinics until Thursday this week in Simonstown vaccination centre, while Fairyhouse vaccination centre will operate right up to Christmas Eve.

There is huge demand for the booster shots as there were large queues at Simonstown vaccination centre again this weekend, as the booster campaign opened for the over 40-year age group.

The centre had to close its gates at 10am on Sunday due to volumes attending and three to four hour waits were reported. It reopened at 11.30am with queue times reportedly down to 90 minutes.

Walk-in clinics at Simonstown will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) from 2pm to 6.30pm and Thursday from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

At Fairyhouse, booster walk-in clinics for those 40 years and older will take place from 12pm to 4pm tomorrow and on Friday from 9.30am to 12pm.

Meanwhile there were eight people in hospital with Covid-19 in Navan last night, three of whom were in ICU beds. There were 25 patients with the virus in Drogheda, six of whom were in ICU.

A further 4,799 new coronavirus cases nationally were confirmed by public health officials yesterday with 467 people in hospital with the virus, including 104 in intensive care.

Meanwhile Meath had a total of 2,895 new cases of the virus in the two weeks to Monday of last week.

The HSE is on track to have administered over 1.5 million booster vaccines or third doses by Christmas and people will receive an appointment for a booster vaccination from either the HSE or their GP, and should take the first one they are offered, HSE chief executive Paul Reid has said.