06 February 2021

Important - COVID-19 vaccination update

Further to our 15 January COVID-19 vaccination update we can now update you on next steps.

On 22 January Dr. Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer (CCO), confirmed that the shortage of vaccines meant people in long term care facilities had been prioritised for immunisation. He said the HSE was committed to offering the “vaccine to all frontline healthcare workers as quickly as possible” and the HSE “will give equal priority to frontline healthcare workers working in the community and hospitals”.

Dr. Henry has now written to the Chief Operations Officer of HSE to clarify the next steps for healthcare workers. We advise members to read the letter and guidance in full:

• Read new healthcare worker vaccination guidance
• Read 5 February letter to frontline healthcare workers
• Read guidance for sequencing healthcare worker vaccinations

At this stage, the key points to note are as follows:

Register for the vaccination programme on Tuesday 9 February

The HSE will coordinate the immunisation programme using an online portal

• Log into the portal: https://www.hse.ie/hcwvaccine/  
• Enter all your details including relevant sequencing group (2a-2f) (see below)
• You will be sent an appointment to attend a vaccination clinic
• At your appointment, you will need to present photo ID and acceptable credentials (Workplace photo ID, Letter from employer, Certificate of current registration status with relevant Irish Regulatory Body) 
• Credentials can be checked prior to entry to a vaccine clinic

Obviously, nobody should attend an appointment if they have COVID symptoms or should be isolating. All staff should raise any questions or queries with their line management.

Priority sequencing for health care workers

Optometrists, dispensing opticians and other patient facing eye care staff are likely to have to register as Group 2(f)

• ‘healthcare workers who deal with scheduled care patients/service users in a controlled setting on a regular basis where there is no known COVID diagnosis.’

However any practitioner providing domiciliary services should register as Group 2(e)

• ‘healthcare workers who deal with scheduled care patients in a uncontrolled setting on a regular basis where there is no known COVID diagnosis.’ 

You can also read HSE guidelines for sequencing for healthcare worker vaccination.

In either case the aim is for all patient-facing health care workers to receive their first dose of the vaccine over the next few weeks.

Audiology

Frontline audiology colleagues should register in the same way and, we assume, fall into the same prioritisation groups.  If you know of audiology colleagues locally who may not have received a copy of the CCO letter, you may wish to forward this advice.

Further support

Please note that following our 15 January update employers and healthcare staff in primary eye care should be well placed to act on the latest developments.

Employers should support frontline healthcare workers by reminding them to take the necessary ID, company letter confirming being a healthcare worker, and where applicable evidence of CORU registration.

If you have any difficulties accessing the portal, please contact us by emailing [email protected] and we will try and resolve any issues via HSE.