Get a COVID-19 vaccination and booster in Northern Ireland
First, second and booster COVID-19 vaccine doses are available at Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust vaccination hubs and participating community pharmacies across Northern Ireland. In addition, some GPs are also providing boosters for their eligible patients.
Get a COVID-19 booster vaccination
The video below is a message from Prof Sir Michael McBride, Northern Ireland Chief Medical Officer regarding the COVID-19 booster vaccination:
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine
Anyone aged 12 years over who is a resident of Northern Ireland is eligible to be vaccinated as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. You generally have to be registered with a GP in Northern Ireland.
If you live in NI but are not registered with a GP in NI, or are temporarily a resident in NI, you can probably still receive a vaccine but you will need to bring evidence of your address in NI to your vaccination appointment. Should there be an issue with this you can email the Department of Health at the address below and they will advise you:
Dose interval
The required interval between first and second doses is eight weeks, while for booster doses it is three months after the second dose, for anyone aged 18 years and over for all three COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in Northern Ireland - Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca.
Different rules apply for anyone aged 12 to 17 years of age.
More information on what vaccine you can get, where to get it, and how to book (where required) is available below.
You can find your nearest vaccination clinic by putting in your post code at the following link:
Who can get a COVID-19 booster vaccination
Find out who is eligible for the COVID-19 booster at:
Where to get a vaccination - aged 12 to 17 years
All 12 to 17 year olds are now eligible to receive a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
In most cases, this should be 12 weeks apart, or 12 weeks post infection for those who have since been infected with COVID-19 after they received their first dose.
As the school vaccination programme is now complete, 12 to 17 year olds can now receive their vaccinations at any of the Trust vaccination hubs.
All 16 and 17 year olds and children aged 12 to 15 years of age who are in a clinical risk group can also receive a booster dose three months after their second dose. Booster doses are being administered at Trust vaccination sites.
Children aged 5 to 11 years of age in a clinical risk group
JCVI recommends that children aged five to 11 years in a clinical risk group, or children who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed, should be offered two 10 micrograms doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine with an interval of eight weeks between the first and second doses.
GPs will be writing out to these children to advise them to book on to a Trust site to receive their vaccinations. If your child attends a special school, they may be able to get the vaccine from the school nursing team in school.
This part of the vaccination programme is expected to begin by late January as the smaller size doses become available.
Further information on these locations is available on the Trust websites.
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
Where to get a vaccination - aged 18 years and over
Trust vaccination hubs and community pharmacies across NI are providing first and second doses to everyone aged 18 and over who has yet to receive their first two primary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Trust vaccination teams are also responsible for vaccinating care home staff and residents, as well as people who are housebound, and their own eligible staff.
There are two types of primary COVID-19 vaccines offered at community pharmacies: Moderna and Astra Zeneca.
Details on which community pharmacies provide each vaccine are detailed below.
Following updated advice from JCVI, it is preferable that people aged under 40 years of age receive an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine for their primary vaccination.
Find out which HSC Trust or Community Pharmacy are offering vaccination by putting in your post code at the following link:
- Community pharmacy vaccination service
- COVID-19 Moderna vaccination pharmacies
- Find a vaccination clinic
If you require an Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the following link to find out which pharmacies are offering:
or a link to a list of the AZ vaccines can be located by following the following link and scrolling down the page -
http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/cp-covid-19-vaccination-service/
RNIB helpline
If you are blind or partially sighted and need help in accessing the details of your local participating pharmacy, you can contact RNIB, Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm and Saturday from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.
This is not a booking line and the operator cannot help organise any vaccination appointments.
- phone: 0303 123 9999
- email: helpline@rnib.org.uk
Calls cost no more than a standard rate call, or count towards any inclusive minutes, to an 01 or 02 number. The price of calls varies between different providers, so check with your provider if you are unsure.
If you only need a second dose
Generally you should receive the same type of vaccine for your second dose as you received from your first dose, and ideally this should be given by the same provider.
Second doses are available at participating community pharmacies or at Trust vaccination hubs and mobile clinics, details of which can be found at the links below. You may also wish to check neighbouring Trust websites in case there are convenient clinics outside your Trust area.
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
You can find your nearest vaccination clinic by putting in your post code at the following link:
Pregnant or believe to be pregnant
Women who are pregnant are now encouraged to have the first, second or booster jabs as soon as possible to help better protect themselves and their baby from any serious consequences from COVID-19.
Expectant mothers aged under 18 should receive primary vaccination in line with other groups at high risk, which is two doses at an eight-week interval.
If you test positive for COVID-19 you should wait four weeks after the infection before getting a vaccination.
For advice about getting the COVID-19 vaccination, you can speak to your obstetric provider or midwife.
Pregnant women can receive their vaccination at their local community pharmacy, or Health and Social Care Trusts are running special antenatal vaccination clinics - check with your Trust for details.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has produced detailed questions and answers on COVID-19 vaccines, pregnancy and breastfeeding at this link:
In relation to fertility, there is absolutely no evidence that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men.
More information is available on the British Fertility Society website.
COVID-19 booster vaccination
Health Trust vaccination hubs are now open for walk-in boosters for anyone aged 16 and over who is at least three months from their second vaccine dose.
Children aged 12 to 15 years of age, who are in a clinical risk group, can now also receive a booster dose three months after their second dose.
At times, there can be a strong demand for boosters. People are asked to be patient in the event of any queues. You can book a vaccination appointment slot at these hubs:
The booster programme involves the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Anyone aged under 18 years of age will only receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Your booster dose does not have to be same vaccine as your first and second doses.
If you are one of a small number of people who cannot receive a mRNA vaccine as a booster and require an AstraZeneca vaccine see details above on how you can access a community pharmacy administering the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The latest details of vaccination hub locations and opening times are available on the Health Trust websites at the links below.
Mobile clinics are also being arranged. You may also wish to check neighbouring Trust websites in case there are convenient clinics outside your Trust area:
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
There are details of community pharmacies providing boosters at this link:
You can find your nearest vaccination clinic by putting in your post code at the following link:
Third dose for those severely immunosuppressed
JCVI advises that a third primary dose should be offered to a small number of individuals aged 12 years and over with severe immunosuppression.
These individuals have been identified by their Trust clinician or GP and invited to receive a third primary dose.
This third primary dose should then be followed with a booster dose (fourth dose) from three months after the third primary dose is administered. Anyone who falls into this category can now proceed to book their booster (fourth) dose online.
Vaccine safety
The vaccines have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). More information is available at:
Follow the public health advice after being vaccinated
Two doses of the current approved vaccines have shown a high level of protection against serious illness from COVID-19, but no vaccine gives 100 per cent protection.
As the COVID-19 vaccines are new, research is ongoing to see what impact they have on reducing the spread of the disease and to examine the extent to which vaccinated people can still pass the infection on to others.
Therefore, after vaccination, you must continue to follow the public health advice and comply with restrictions. You still need to:
- practise social distancing
- wear a face covering
- wash your hands carefully and often
- comply with restrictions
Proof of vaccination
Information on when you need and how to proof of vaccination is available at:
For the latest travel advice go to:
Further information about the vaccine
The Public Health Agency has developed a range of leaflets and a frequently asked questions section: