THE vaccine booster programe in the North of Ireland is to be accelerated with walk-in jabs being made available for the over-30s.
Emergency measures are needed due to the potential threat posed by the Omicron variant, Health Minister Robin Swann has said.
Ten cases of the Covid-19 variant have been detected here so far.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned in a televised address on Sunday that a “tidal wave of Omicron coming”.
In the North of Ireland, boosters are now being made available at walk-in centres for those aged 30 and above, whose last dose was administered at least three months ago.
Mr Swann said the speeding up of the vaccine programme was to get as many booster doses as possible administered before the end of December.
Trust hubs will be extending their opening hours and days of operation with immediate effect and hundreds of additional vaccinators are in the process of being recruited.
The deferral of some planned routine health service activity is also “under consideration to free up further capacity”.
“GPs, community pharmacies and trust hubs will all have a central and vital role in making this happen,” he added.
“It is also really important that people who are not yet vaccinated come forward for their first dose without delay.”
Chief scientific adviser Prof Ian Young said the Omicron variant represented a significant threat and Northern Ireland now had an opportunity to get in the “strongest possible position” ahead of the wave.
He said a “huge amount of work” had taken place over the weekend to do with the booster jabs for the over-30s.
“The minister has indicated his intention of ensuring we can match the commitments which have been made in England and Scotland in terms of vaccine delivery,” he said.
“It will be our job as a health and social care system to put the infrastructure in place to achieve that, but we need the population to come forward and to take up the opportunities for vaccination which are on offer.”
Tags: