The Health Service Executive has taken delivery of 144,000 Pfizer children's vaccines for the rollout of Covid-19 jabs to those aged between five and 11.

The vaccines will be administered in two doses, three weeks apart, starting with high-risk children next week.

Further supplies of the vaccine, which comes in a lower dose than that given to adults, will become available over coming weeks, with 220,000 due to be delivered during January.

Hospital Report

The HSE will hold back some doses initially as a buffer to ensure sufficient reserves of second doses are available.

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Weekly deliveries are expected during the early part of the new year as the wider rollout of first vaccines to an estimated 480,000 children aged between five and 11 commences from Monday, January 10th.

The first jabs will administered from next week to medically vulnerable children at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin, and in paediatric units in hospitals across the country.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has strongly recommended that children with an underlying condition, along with children living with a younger child with complex medical needs and children living with an immunocompromised adult, be vaccinated first.

From next week, initial jabs will be offered to siblings of children with underlying health conditions at the same time to maximise vaccinations so families can be vaccinated together.

Online registration will open for other high-risk children from December 28th with the HSE expecting that children of the State’s estimated 100,000 immunocompromised adults will come forward at this time as part of this priority subgroup within the five- to 11-year-olds.

High-risk children, along with siblings and children of immunocompromised adults, will then be called for appointments at vaccination centres with dedicated clinics from January 3rd.

One health source said the HSE expected the more than 30 vaccination centres to be under less pressure by the time the children’s vaccines are rolled out more widely in this group as the booster vaccinations will be well under way in people aged 40 and over.

The HSE is starting to offer booster vaccinations to pregnant women aged 16 and over this weekend.