Updated: 5.35pm
The time which people who test positive for Covid-19 must wait before becoming eligible for their booster vaccine has been cut to three months.
The change was recommended by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac), with the chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan endorsing the decision.
On Tuesday evening, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly accepted the recommendations, meaning the wait time for a booster for people who test positive after their initial vaccination will reduce from the earlier recommendation of six months.
The new measures come as the Department of Health confirmed 5,279 new cases of the virus. As of 8am there were 443 people in hospital with Covid, 102 of whom were being treated in intensive care units.
The @hpscireland has today been notified of 5,279* confirmed cases of #COVI19.
As of 8am today, 443 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 102 are in ICU.Advertisement— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) December 21, 2021
Mr Donnelly welcomed the news, describing it as "an important step given Ireland's current epidemiological situation".
"The emergence of Omicron has prompted this amendment, specifically the significant concerns we have about the risk of re-infection which is estimated to be approximately five-fold higher with Omicron compared to the Delta strain," he said.
The Minister urged those who are eligible to come forward to receive their booster jab, adding: "Do not wait until after Christmas. You will be fully protected seven days after you receive your booster," he said.
Self-scheduler
In addition to the reduction in the wait time, the HSE has also confirmed a new online self-scheduler is now in operation for booster shots.
The platform will allow members of the public to book an appointment to receive their jab at a small number of vaccination centres around the country.
The HSE said: "Learnings from this initial roll out will inform the further use of the scheduler at a wider range of centres over the next week."
The centres currently included in the self-scheduler are: Croke Park (Dublin), The National Show Centre, Swords (Dublin), Scoil Carmel (Limerick), and Astro Active Centre, Enniscorthy (Wexford).
The appointments will be offered from Wednesday morning (Thursday in the case of Scoil Carmel), with over 3,000 slots being made available.
The self-scheduler tool can only be used by those who are:
- Aged 40 and over
- Pregnant (aged 30 and over)
- Living in a nursing home/long-term healthcare facility
- Healthcare worker (aged 30 and over)
- Living with an underlying condition (aged 30 and over)
The HSE explained the jabs will only be available for people aged 30 or over as the initial clinics with use the Moderna vaccine only.
The executive also reiterated that you must have received the last dose of the vaccine more than three months (90 days) prior to receiving the booster dose.
