New COVID Vaccine update 30th Jan 22

Covid 19 Vaccine Update

Vaccination clinics and some pharmacies and GP surgeries are administering the COVID-19 vaccine. At Whelehans Pharmacy Pearse St, we run Covid-19 walk in clinics for first and second doses and boosters for eligible groups. To save you time on the day of your vaccine, you can register for your vaccine in advance on the Whelehans Pharmacy website; this means you will be in and out in only a few minutes. Bring photo ID that shows your date of birth. Whelehans offer first and second doses for over 12’s and boosters for over 16’s. Whelehans offer the Pfizer^● vaccine (available for over 16) or the Moderna^● vaccine (available for over 30’s only) and you can get your second dose even if you got your first dose elsewhere.

Age groups

Covid-19 vaccines are now available for all children over 5. Anybody over 16 is eligible for a Covid-19 booster vaccine. You need to wait 3 months (at least 90 days) after your first round of COVID-19 vaccination before you can get a booster. If you had Covid-19 since you were vaccinated, you can get your booster at least 3 months after your positive test result. Whelehans Pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccines for anyone over 12.

If you were vaccinated in a different country

If you were vaccinated abroad, you can get your booster in Ireland if you are due one.

Vaccines are effective and are safe 

Scientific evidence shows all COVID-19 vaccines massively reduce serious illness, hospitalisations, and deaths from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe. To receive Emergency Use Authorization, all vaccines were carefully tested through clinical trials. In addition, the WHO, European Medicines Agency and the FDA and CDC (in America) continuously monitor the vaccine safety and adverse effects that occur and advise accordingly. 

Benefits outweigh risks. 

Many who are vaccinated experience some mild side effects for a day or two after vaccine, but this is mild compared to the potential effects of COVID-19 that can last 10 to 14 days, not to mention the risk of long Covid once you recover which for many people is having a massive negative impact of their wellbeing.

Vaccine mRNA technology has been around for 20 years

There is sometimes a perception that COVID vaccine development was rushed. However, research on mRNA technology that is used in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began 30 years ago. It was 20 years ago that scientists at the University of Pennsylvania learned how to safely introduce mRNA to the immune system. Human trials of cancer vaccines using mRNA have been taking place since 2011. mRNA vaccines do not alter a person’s DNA. mRNA technology has been so successful there it is likely there will new mRNA vaccines for other illnesses in the future.

Booster COVID Vaccine available at Whelehans Pharmacy

Eligible people (over 16) can book a booster vaccine of the Pfizer vaccine at Whelehans Pharmacy Pearse St on the Whelehans Pharmacy website or call 0449 334591 or simply call in to our weekly walk-in clinics. I will discuss COVID 19 vaccines for children in more detail next week.

Thanks to the HSE for the info for this article.

Check www.hse.ie for more vaccine information. For comprehensive and free health advice and information call in to Whelehans Pharmacies, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591 (Pearse St) or 04493 10266 (Clonmore).