I am due my second COVID 19 vaccine shortly and I recently received an SMS text from the HSE regarding pre vaccine medical questions. As always, I was carful to ensure that this was from the HSE and not some sort of scam to get personal details.
So, I went to the HSE website, which can be found at
https://www.hse.ie/eng/ to ensure that this SMS was legitimate.
You can see that this new process is designed to speed everything up when you arrive at the vaccination center. Here is the article from the HSE website:
From this week onwards, people who register and are scheduled for a vaccination at a HSE Vaccination Centre will now receive an SMS with a link which allows them to give consent to their allocated vaccine on-line, ahead of presenting for vaccination at their appointment.
This step is designed to make it as simple and quick as possible for people to get their vaccine. The SMS text messages include a link to further information on their vaccine, as well as a link to answer some medical questions and give consent. This is to make sure it is okay to give this person this vaccine. People are asked to do this online by logging into their record using this link once notified to do so by SMS: https://vaccine.hse.ie. People can choose to do this from their phone or another device if preferred.
Giving consent in advance of an appointment will speed up the waiting time at a vaccination center, as people are seen more swiftly. If a person refuses to give their consent their vaccination appointment will be cancelled. People can call HSELive on 1800 700 700 if they have any questions about the SMS they received or the consent process.
Consent is the giving of permission or agreement to an intervention such as receiving a vaccination. This requirement is consistent with fundamental ethical principles, with good practice in communication and decision–making and with national health and social care policy. Informed consent involves a process of communication that enables a person to have a clear understanding of the nature of the intervention, and likely risks and benefits of receiving it. This helps the person to make an informed choice about whether or not to proceed.
As I always recommend, please ensure that any requests for data you receive are from a legitimate source. Never give out personal or financial information unless you have verified the receiver. As we can see in this case, the request was legitimate and therefore safe to proceed. Stay safe 😊
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