The Covid-19 vaccine portal is now likely to open at the end of this week or next Monday for people in their 30s, two political sources have said.
This age cohort will be offered mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer or Moderna jabs.
A source said a substantial increase in supply over recent weeks has been matched by a corresponding scaling up of the administration of the vaccine programme which will continue throughout June. They said that the “profile will change” over the course of July with a focus on using the two mRNA vaccines in the future.
AstraZeneca will continue to be used to complete second doses for those who already received a first dose of AstraZeneca.
The HSE has said it hopes “to move to the next age cohorts as swiftly as the previous ones and they will be advised to register shortly”.
People aged 40 and over can register online for the vaccine while pharmacists will begin administering jabs from this week.
People over the age of 50 who have not yet received a vaccine can now get one in their local pharmacy. They do not need to register online for the service but will need to book a vaccine appointment with a participating pharmacist, a list of which can be found on the HSE’s website.
On Tuesday the Department of Health reported another 283 confirmed coronavirus infections. It said there were 60 people in hospital with the virus, of which 23 were in intensive care.
A further 115 people in Northern Ireland tested positive, according to the North's Department of Health. There were no additional deaths. Fifteen people were receiving hospital treatment for the virus in the North on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has said most people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine will have got their second jab by the time international travel restrictions are eased next month.
Responding to reports that hundreds of thousands of people waiting on their second dose will not be able to travel abroad, Mr Ryan said they would be getting texts in the coming weeks to attend appointments for their next inoculation.
“This mainly applies to those over 60 who have got a first AstraZeneca jab,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
“They will be getting a text in the coming weeks, and it will move to a shorter interval [for the second jab]. So rather than that 12 week interval, it will gradually reduce down to eight weeks.
“A lot of them because they got it in in early May or late April should be getting texts within the coming weeks. In that timeline, by the time international travel starts to open up on July 19th, most of them should have had their second jab.”
Deputy chief medical officer Ronan Glynn has urged people who are not yet vaccinated to remain vigilant.
“One thing that we’re particularly concerned about is the Delta variant and what impact that may have over the coming weeks,” he told Beat 102-103 on Monday.
“We’re very keen for people, particularly people who have not been vaccinated, to continue to follow the basic messages so that we don’t run into trouble over the coming weeks.”
