We very much welcome the inclusion by JCVI of carers in Priority Group 6 of the Covid vaccination roll out programme. We have had confirmation from the Department of Health NI that "Unpaid carers, if not picked up in earlier priority groups, will be offered vaccination in priority 6.".
This goes some way in recognising the vital contribution carers have made throughout this pandemic, supporting the health and social care system in Northern Ireland. It will provide a lifeline for unpaid carers who, for the past year, have feared contracting and passing the virus onto those they care for or who have been worrying about what will happen to the person they care for if the carer contracts the virus and is unable to provide care.
We know carers are anxious to find out how and when they will receive the Covid vaccination and we're currently liaising with the Department of Health to clarify how the roll out to carers will be facilitated.
There is no need to do anything at this point as vaccinations for Priority Groups 1 and 2 are still taking place. Carers in Northern Ireland will be vaccinated as part of Phase 2 (if not already in the Phase 1 priority groups). You can find more out about vaccine roll out plan in Northern Ireland here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/vaccination-programme-published
We would encourage carers to keep an eye to our social media pages and our website and we will let you know as soon as we hear more. If you would like to receive information that could help you in your caring role you should contact your local Health and Social Care Trust Carer Support Team to join the Trust's carers register. Contact details here: