The HSE will begin administering Covid vaccine booster shots for all aged 60 and above from November, reports The Irish Times. Currently booster shots are given only for those aged 80 and above and for those in care homes aged above 65 in Ireland. But as there are fears that vaccine effectiveness may decline after a while, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) was advising government to give boosters for all aged above 60.
According to data, 800,000 people are eligible for boosters under this age cohort. Most over 70s are likely to be given boosters in their local GP surgery, while those aged between 60 and 70 are likely to get them in mass vaccination centres.
The Cabinet had approved booster shot plans last Tuesday and confirmed two million Pfizer/BioNtech doses are in stock.
It says it will take about 10 days for the latest Government decision on boosters to be operationalised. More than 182,000 people are aged 80 and over, and 345,000 are in the 70-79 age group. A further 479,000 people are aged between 60 and 69.
People who have had their second dose of vaccine at least 6 months ago are eligible for booster shots. If the second dose was taken recently, they have to wait for a 6 months period to get boosters.
Meanwhile no decisions have been made about administering booster shots for healthcare workers yet.
Earlier a study by Oxford University in UK had revealed that the efficacy of the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing infections slipped to 75 per cent and 61 per cent respectively 90 days after the second shot of the vaccines.