Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
558. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health his Department’s plan for Covid-19 booster shots for healthcare workers; if the vaccines necessary are currently available; if the same or a different vaccine to the first two doses will be administered as a booster; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54030/21]
View answerOn 8 September, I announced an update to the Covid-19 vaccination programme following advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The NIAC has recommended a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine (irrespective of whether the primary vaccination course was of an mRNA or adenoviral vector) for residents aged 65 years and older living in Long Term Residential Care Facilities and for those aged 80 years and older living in the community. The booster dose can be given after a minimum interval of six months following completion of the primary vaccination schedule. I have accepted this advice and the HSE has made the necessary arrangements to operationalise these recommendations with the booster rollout now underway.
The NIAC has also recommended that a booster dose of mRNA vaccine be offered to all those aged 60-79 (irrespective of whether the primary vaccination course was of an mRNA or adenoviral vector) who have completed their primary vaccination course with any Covid-19 vaccination. The booster dose should be ideally given 6 months following completion of the primary vaccination schedule (with a minimum interval of 5 months).
On 1 November the NIAC recommended that a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine (irrespective of whether the primary vaccination course was of an mRNA or adenoviral vector) be offered to healthcare workers. The booster dose should be ideally given six months following completion of the primary vaccination schedule (with a minimum interval of five months). The Chief Medical Officer has endorsed the latest recommendations and the HSE has now been asked to proceed with implementation.
Ireland has entered into seven Advance Purchase Agreements, subject to regulatory approval, for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccine from a range of manufacturers. Four vaccines have been authorised by the European Medicines Agency to date; Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Spikevax (Moderna), Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) and Janssen. Ireland has procured significant quantities of vaccines to facilitate the continuation of the Covid-19 vaccination programme and the continued rollout of the booster programme over the coming months.
