People aged 65 and over to receive second Covid booster vaccine

A second mRNA Covid-19 booster or fourth dose has been recommended for all those aged 65 years and older.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has also recommended that those aged 12 years and older, who are immunocompromised, receive a second booster or fifth shot, and, those who are immunocompromised aged 5-11 years should complete an extended primary course - a total of three vaccine doses.

NIAC has reiterated its previous recommendation that pregnant women and adolescents from 12 years of age should be offered mRNA Covid-19 primary and booster vaccination at any stage of pregnancy.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: “I welcome today’s update to Ireland’s vaccination programme. Covid-19 vaccines have achieved extraordinary success in preventing severe disease, hospitalisation and death. These vaccines continue to have a very good safety profile with hundreds of millions of doses administrated globally.

“Those who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated continue to be disproportionality affected and account for approximately a third of hospitalisations for Covid-19. As such, I urge anyone for whom an additional dose of vaccine has been recommended, or anyone yet to receive their primary course or booster vaccine do so as soon as possible.

“I have asked the NIAC to continue to actively examine the evidence regarding the likely benefit of a second booster to other groups, vaccine choice and interval in order to make further recommendations in this regard.” 

The Department of Health and the HSE will now work to operationalise these updates.