Residents of nursing homes, people aged over 80 and frontline healthcare workers will be the first to be offered Covid-19 booster shots in the coming months.
As The Irish Times reports, The Cabinet discussed a planned campaign of booster shots at its meeting on Tuesday.
Fresh advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to Government recommended the use of booster shots for vulnerable groups first.
This will include people with underlying medical conditions. The shots will likely be given in the autumn or winter, a Government spokesman said.
The Government also discussed plans to add the Valneva Covid-19 vaccine to the current list of available vaccines. The French shot has been dubbed a “variant proof” option that European capitals are increasingly interested in.
The Cabinet has decided to increase the limit of number of guests permitted at a wedding to 100 from August 5th and to extended coronavirus vaccines to children aged between 12 and 15 years of age.
Wedding parties
Several Ministers supported the decision around wedding parties in light of the accelerated pace of the vaccination campaign with about 70 per cent of adults now vaccinated fully.
The Cabinet has also agreed to allow up to 50 people to attend baptisms.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney also confirmed that the vaccination programme will be extended to the 12- to 15-year-old cohort. The decision was made by the Cabinet on the basis of advice from National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac), he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
The extension of the vaccination programme to the younger age group will be “a significant advantage” for the return to school, he added and in stopping the spread of the Delta variant.
The consent of parents will be needed and the Government intends to roll out an information campaign.
Senior Coalition sources said Niac opted to recommend vaccinations for all children between 12 and 15 rather than just vulnerable juveniles, after considering the balance of risk between both options.
The vaccination campaign for this age cohort will start “as soon as possible”
