The Moderna vaccine will be available at 16 community pharmacies for those who wish to be vaccinated.
More pharmacies will be added to the service on a rolling basis over the coming weeks.
Health Minister Robin Swann has welcomed the expansion of the community pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination service.
Locations have been identified and selected on the basis of vaccine uptake data.
Minister Swann said community pharmacy teams across Northern Ireland have already risen to the challenge by delivering over 115,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“As well as the continued availability of the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals over 40, the additional availability of the Moderna vaccine to eligible individuals aged 18 years and over will also provide more locations where those people who haven’t yet come forward to receive their vaccine to do so now.
“While the logistical challenges with deployment of the Moderna vaccine are considerable, the number of participating pharmacies offering Moderna will continue to increase over the coming weeks and this will help many more people to come forward to access their vaccine in an easy and convenient location for them,” he said.
Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer said the deployment of the Moderna vaccine from an increasing number of community pharmacies over the coming weeks will play a vital part in the continued fight back against the virus.
Joe Brogan, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management at the Health and Social Care Board said rolling the Moderna vaccine out through selected pharmacies will provide the opportunity for even greater uptake.
Gerard Green, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland said: “We welcome the inclusion of Moderna to the COVID-19 vaccination programme, particularly for those in the under 40s age group. Community pharmacy is embedded in the heart of local communities, and this has been important in the vaccine roll out to date, providing patients with the option to receive their vaccine from a convenient and familiar health care professional, that they know and trust.”
He is asking the public to be patient with community pharmacy teams.
The Minister added: “Cases have continued to rise over recent weeks and we are now also beginning to see the pressures mounting on our hospitals, with increasing demand for intensive care beds – albeit at a lower rate, thanks to the effectiveness of our vaccination programme. If we can make a concerted effort to increase vaccine uptake in the next week or so, this can help make a decisive difference, in terms of preventing serious illness and hospitalisations.”