Healthy Ireland at Your Library

Healthy Ireland, a Government-led initiative, is the national strategy to improve health and wellbeing, placing a focus on prevention, individual awareness and keeping people healthy for longer. Sligo County Libraries are currently delivering the nationwide Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme that will establish libraries as a valuable source within the community for health information.

Funding granted by Healthy Ireland at Your Library has enhanced health and wellbeing book collections (digital and hardcopy), and provided for staff training, events, and promotion.

The Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme will continue to build on this and contribute to improving the health, wellbeing, and overall quality of life of communities and individuals at all life stages

The Healthy Ireland at your Library programme will address 6 key areas:

Healthy Childhood
Healthy Eating and Active Living
Wellbeing and Mental Health,
Positive Ageing
Alcohol
Tobacco

The programme will enhance current health information available from Sligo County Libraries through the provision of a new collection of books, e-Books, e-Audiobooks, e-Magazines, e-Newspapers & online courses on health and wellbeing.

The Healthy Ireland at Your Library Book Stock and online resources will be complimented by a range of events with a focus on physical health, mental health and health literacy.

COVID-19 Update

Everyone aged 12 and over can now receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

-More than 3 million people have been fully vaccinated in Ireland. As of August 18^th, 90% of eligible adults are partially vaccinated and 83% of adults are fully vaccinated. Over 75% of our population aged 12 and over are now vaccinated.

Public Health Measures

You can find information here about the public health measures in place.

COVID-19 Testing – Online Booking System

Full details of how to get tested are available here.

To book a test, log on to our system here. You can show up without an appointment, but you may not have to wait as long if you book online.

We have introduced a new contact tracing online system this week. If you get a positive test, you can use this to help list where you’ve been and help us to get in touch with your close contacts. https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/contact-tracing/contact-tracing/

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

The vaccination programme continues to be rolled out nationwide. More than 3 million people have been fully vaccinated in Ireland. By this weekend, 90% of adults will be partially vaccinated and 80% of adults will be fully vaccinated. We are grateful to all of our colleagues and partners, and to the public, for taking part and making this happen.

You can find the latest information on vaccines administered here.

Registration for 12 to 15 year olds

We’re inviting parents of children aged 12 to 15 to register their children now. All children in this age group are being offered a vaccine but we particularly recommend that they get vaccinated if they:

have a health condition that puts them at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19
live with someone who is at higher risk of COVID-19

Parents can read more about the benefits and risk of vaccination for their children here.

Please note that 12 to 15 year olds are not eligible at present to attend walk in vaccination clinics.

Read the user guide for help with registering online.

If you cannot register online, you can call the COVID-19 helpline at Freephone: 1800 700 700 to register by phone.

Who can give consent for vaccination of a young person aged under 16 years

Information is available here.

Isolation quick guide – applying to those aged greater than 3 months and up to 13th birthday

The updated factsheet is available here.

Isolation quick guide – adults and children from their 13th birthday

The updated factsheet is available here.

Where to find COVID-19 Vaccination Information

We encourage everyone to read about the COVID-19 vaccine and to get their information from a factual, trusted source – here are the links to the pages with information on the vaccine:

Check https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/cde55-why-vaccines-are-essential-to-stop-the-spread-of-covid-19/ for information about the vaccine, information on this page is updated regularly
Find the vaccine information materials at https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/covid-19-resources-and-translations/covid-19-vaccine-materials
Details on COVID-19 vaccines administered are available here
Read the full COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy
Read the National Immunisation Advisory Committee Chapter about COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 vaccine information for health professionals
Information in Irish Sign Language: information resources on the COVID-19 vaccines in Irish Sign Language are available here.
Find information on how to receive/amend your EU COVID Digital Certificate here

Medical cards online

The online portal for medical card, GP visit card and DPS applications and renewals is now restored.

Public Health Information

As always, for the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on https://www.hpsc.ie/ where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

Please check here for the most up to date partner resources for COVID-19.

You can find the COVID-19 A-Z information here from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Please also check the Healthy Ireland site here with further resources and information on the Keep Well campaign.

You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 here.

Ireland’s COVID-19 Data Hub is available here.