A lot of GPs are already moving down to younger age groups in the booster vaccine rollout, a senior IMO doctor says.
Donegal GP Dr Denis McCauley says people should check their GP's Facebook page or website to see how they're handling the rollout.
Mass vaccination centres began giving booster vaccines to over 40s yesterday - an expansion to the programme that happened ahead of schedule.
However, last week GPs were given the discretion to start vaccinating younger cohorts as well in a bid to speed up the booster rollout.
A 15-minute observation time post-vaccination has also been scrapped for those receiving their third dose.
Dr McCauley - chairman of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) - told The Pat Kenny Show lots of work is being done to ramp up the vaccination programme.
He said: “We were giving 80,000 vaccines [a week] up until last weekend… each GP is at different stages of their vaccine protocol.
“We were asked to vaccinate initially over 50s and the medically vulnerable. A lot of GPs have finished that and are moving down.”
He encouraged people to look at their own GP’s social media pages or website as “they will be able to tell you what the protocol will be.”
He said most practices will be contacting their patients by text with details of the rollout, but stressed that "some won't be" so it's worth checking to see what the current approach is.
Dr McCauley said GPs will be vaccinating "right up until Christmas", and will start up again immediately after.
Anyone looking for routine care like a blood pressure check is being asked to wait for another few weeks while doctors focus on booster vaccines and emergency care.
HSE rollout
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, meanwhile, the HSE's Damien McCallion said 1.5 million people have now been vaccinated under the booster programme.
More than 50,000 people were vaccinated on some days last week, with more than 300,000 doses administered over seven days.
Long queue times were reported at some walk-in vaccination centres again this weekend.
Mr Callion said it's inevitable there'll be "pressure for a number of days” when they open up the vaccine centres to more age groups.
However, he said they’ll open up vaccination to other age groups as quickly as possible if there's any easing of demand at the centres.
He said the HSE's currently finalising the plan for younger age groups, but it's hoped everyone eligible will have been offered a booster around the end of January or early February.
