PEOPLE aged 40-44 began booking their Covid-19 vaccines at noon yesterday, following the further rollout of the programme.
The expansion came after warnings that the pace of vaccinations would fall due to supply issues and as health officials signalled a "course correction" as a precaution against "vanishingly rare" blood clots from the AstraZeneca jab.
Health Minister Robin Swann stressed "vaccination is by far our best defence against Covid-19 and is essential to our goal of getting Northern Ireland out of lockdown on a sustainable basis".
His department said the ongoing roll-out of the vaccination programme "will continue to be dependent on the availability of vaccine supplies".
"Our progress to date would not have been possible without significant availability of AstraZeneca vaccines," a spokeswoman said, warning people to be patient in anticipation that "demand for appointments will be strong".
People under 30 have been told to expect a "small delay" for their innoculation, with adults in that age group now being recommended to take an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab.
This follows 79 reports of rare blood clots with low platelets - some in the brain - in the UK by March 31 and 19 deaths among more than 20 million AstraZeneca vaccinated people.
The Department of Health yesterday stressed it is "very important that everyone who has already had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine gets their second dose of the same vaccine, irrespective of age".
The only exception is for the very small number of people who experienced blood clots with low platelet counts following their first dose.
On Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said the benefits of vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine "far outweigh any potential risks for people aged 30 and over" and for those whose underlying health conditions put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease.
In line with JCVI advice, people in the north aged 18-29 who do not have an underlying medical condition will be offered an alternative vaccine, when this is available.
This is likely to cause delays for this group, with only the Pfizer vaccine now being distributed across the UK.
The Moderna jab began to be offered in Wales on Wednesday.
Booking for those aged 40-44 can be done online at: https://covid-19.hscni.net/get-vaccinated and via telephone on 0300 200 7813.
Mr Swann stressed the extension to the lower age group is "very welcome news".
