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Staff Information

COVID-19

December 2021

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Booster – More ways to get your vaccine: People aged 50 and older, healthcare workers and people aged 16 and over with a high risk condition can now get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

It is very important to get your COVID-19 vaccine booster when it is due. Without a booster, you are more at risk of serious illness if you get COVID-19.There are now even more ways to get your COVID-19 booster.

If you’re over 50, a healthcare worker or over 16 with a high risk condition you can:

  1. Go to a walk-in vaccination clinic. Visit hse.ie/covid19vaccine for clinic times and locations.
  2. You’ll get an appointment by text message from the HSE. If it doesn’t suit you can reschedule or go to a walk-in clinic.
  3. Contact a participating pharmacy or GP. Visit hse.ie/covid19vaccine for a list of pharmacies in your area.                    
  • For updated information on when and how to wear face masks, including those aged 9 and older, please find details here.
  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19, self-isolate and get a PCR test. Please do this even if you are part or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You can find more information here.
  • If you’re regularly in high-risk environments, and you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, the advice is to use antigen tests twice a week. If you do have symptoms, please don’t use an antigen test. Please find more information here.
  • If you are a close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19, please find guidance here. 

 

Public Health Measures 

You can find the public health measures here.  

 

COVID-19 is still spreading in our communities.

Vaccines are proven to be your best protection against serious illness from COVID-19, alongside the day to day protective measures we all need to keep in mind – clean hands, masks, leaving space. 

 

New information videos in nine languages to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19

A new COVID-19 vaccine information video has been produced in a range of languages and the videos are now live on the HSE’s YouTube channel and being shared on social media. 

The multilingual videos were created by the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office and National Immunisation Office in partnership with Translate Ireland. It is hoped that the videos will be a helpful source of information about COVID-19 vaccination for people who are living in Ireland and whose primary language is not English. The videos are available in the following languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Georgian, Hungarian, Russian, and Turkish. More languages will be added in the coming days.

 

 

Walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69

The HSE is operating some walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccines for healthcare workers and people aged 50-69. You must wait at least 5 months after your second vaccine dose before you can get your booster. If you had the single-dose Janssen vaccine, you must wait at least 3 months.

See times and locations of the walk-in vaccination clinics here.  

 

COVID-19 Testing – Online Booking System

Full details of how to get tested are available here.

Common symptoms include high temp, dry cough and change in sense of taste or smell. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, it’s very important to self-isolate and get tested as soon as possible. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme 

You can find the latest information on vaccines administered here.

 

Find a pharmacy giving COVID-19 vaccines

Many pharmacies are now offering COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 12 and over. Find a pharmacy to book your vaccine appointment. You can find more information 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:

 

Free flu vaccine for all at-risk groups

It’s flu season and while anyone can catch the flu, some people are more at risk of catching the flu, getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. The HSE encourages all at-risk groups to make an appointment with their GP or Pharmacist for their free flu vaccine. People at risk include all children aged 2 to 17, those aged 65 or over, people with certain long term conditions, and pregnant women. It’s the best way to be protected from the flu. Find a participating pharmacy

 

Flu and COVID-19

The flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses. The flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19. If you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine, you should still have the flu vaccine. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine. Visit https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/flu-vaccine/

 

Layer up

Posters and guidance for you to use and share to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your community are available here from the Department of Health. We would be grateful if you would help share the resources and messages with your networks, colleagues, friends and in your buildings.

 

 

HSE Health and Wellbeing Christmas Concert 2021

All of our partner organisations are invited to join us for the HSE Health and Wellbeing Staff Christmas Concert webinar on Tuesday, 21st December from 4pm to 5.30pm.  Register to attend the Christmas Concert here. 

The concert will include performances from staff and special guests from across the country. In addition to Zoom, the concert will be streamed live from HSE Health and Wellbeing on YouTube, where a recording will be available to watch back following the event.

 

HSE Health and Wellbeing Countdown to Christmas Calendar

You are invited to download the new #StaffHealthCountdown calendar here to help keep your wellbeing in check for the coming weeks.

The Health & Wellbeing E-zine

 The Health & Wellbeing E-zine is available here. 

 

Public Health Information

For updated information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/c36c85-covid-19-coronavirus/ 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 translated resources here.

 

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.

 

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.

November 2021

Working from Home

Following the government announcements last night, there is no change in current arrangements for student attendance and on campus activities in third level Institutions .

However there is a renewed push for people to work from home unless attendance in person is absolutely necessary.

Given the increased case numbers and the updated recommendation from the government, we would ask non-front line staff to review their work situation with their manager, to see if working from home is suitable.

Important Update:

Household Contacts

There has been an important update on information to household close contacts of Covid 19.

Fully Vaccinated

If you are a household close contact, you need to restrict movements (stay at home) until you have 3 negative antigen test results within 5 days. A household close contact is someone who was in close contact with a person who tested positive in a residential setting. For example, a house, flat or apartment.
 
Not Fully Vaccinated
 
If you are a close contact and you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and you are not fully vaccinated you need to:
  • Get a COVID-19 PCR test
  • Restrict your movements (stay at home).
A link to the latest information is available on the HSE website. 

The college will see the return of students from Monday 20th September on a staggered blended basis.

The IT Sligo COVID 19 Response Plan which has been updated following the publication of “A safe return to onsite further & higher education and research 2021-2022”, together with a Staff Checklist to assist Academic staff. Please read and familiarise yourself with contents of the plan.

As we enter this new phase of the pandemic, everyone has a personal responsibility to follow the guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID 19.

Please note the institute has recruited a number of Covid Monitors who will be present around the campus to encourage and support with compliance of the guidelines.

We ask that staff continue to work from home where possible in consultation with their manager, where their role permits.

We would like to thank the Lead Workers for their significant contribution in updating this plan.

We fully appreciate this is an anxious time for students and staff and there will be a number of wellbeing events organised throughout the semester to support you.

IT Sligo looks forward to welcoming back staff and students on campus this September.  All planning is being informed by the Safe Return Plan published by the D/FHERIS on June 15th and the THEA document ‘Implementing a Safe Return to Campus’ which endorsed the sector commitment to the Safe Return Plan. This plan has been agreed at a national level with the social partners.

Here are some specifics about returning on campus:

  • All progressing years will commence classes on 20th September
  • All 1st years and apprentices will commence classes on 27th September, with induction commencing in the week prior to that.
  • All students will have meaningful on campus learning on a weekly basis. Where on campus delivery is a requisite to achieve the programme learning outcomes, students on such programmes will be on campus for typically 4-5 days per week.
  • Practicals, labs, workshops, seminars and tutorials will be onsite for all other programmes, which meaning that every student will be onsite for at least 2 days per week.
  • Given the nature of Science practical’s, some labs will operate with 50% student capacity initially. We will review the quantum of on campus learning after the first 6 weeks with the intention of adjusting the quantum upwards when the Public Health guidelines permit it.
  • We are committed to having a full suite of clubs & societies available for students to participate in, to complement the student on campus learning experience.
  • Our student support services have increased mental health supports and is accessible to students both on campus and remotely.
  • Hybrid Induction programmes have been planned for continuing and new students with an on campus bespoke induction scheduled for students with Autism and other special needs.

As we embark on the coming academic year together, we want to emphasise the continued need for personal responsibility and shared collective responsibility by all in our community to facilitate the safe operation of campus life. This will necessitate keeping up to date with, and practicing, all the control measures put in place to deal with  COVID-19.

To summarise these:

  • Public health measures on campus will include mandatory mask wearing, hand hygiene, cleaning, employment of COVID 19 monitors, booking system for library/study spaces, CO2 monitoring, use of air filtration system, one way person traffic system around campus,
  • We are not requiring either staff or students to produce a covid vaccination certification to come on campus.
  • As per the Minister’s statement, we are not required to implement any distancing between people – i.e. the 2 m distance is gone and social distancing is now about avoiding congregation. Having said that, we are working to ensure that everyone can maintain a space between themselves and others – again this puts pressure on space and requires re-imaging the timetable and how we circulate around the buildings.
  • students/ staff with potential symptoms, will be triaged with isolation facilities available, and risk assessments of all campus teaching & non-teaching areas has been carried out.
  • A bespoke mandatory COVID 19 module has been developed for students detailing the Institutes public health measures and students’ responsibilities on and off campus.
  • Management are meeting regularly with the COVID Lead Worker Representatives to consult on planning for the new academic year.
  • We are also meeting with the students’ union and they are part of the planning team for the new academic year.
  • For those who are high-risk and cannot avail of vaccines, measures are in place. Please discuss this with your head of department and with the HR office.

Notwithstanding the above, the most effective control measure for COVID-19 is the protection afforded to individuals and our community by vaccination. We can be very proud of the vaccine rollout and high uptake rates in Ireland and I strongly encourage anyone who has not yet availed of the vaccine to do so without delay. This will undoubtedly help us in achieving our shared objective for a fuller and richer higher education experience in the coming academic year.