Boosters now to be given after just three months, says Donnelly

The gap between completion of primary schedule of Covid-19 vaccination and a booster dose will be reduced to three months, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said amid growing concern about the impact of the Omicron variant on infection rates.

In a post on Twitter, Mr Donnelly said he had accepted a recommendation from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to reduce the gap for boosters to three months.

He said boosters would continue to be offered in the priority order previously recommended.

Up until now, only people who received a Janssen vaccine were advised to take a booster after three months. Those who received another vaccine were advised to wait at least five months for their booster.

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A further 4,688 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported on Monday evening.

The Department of Health said eight additional cases of the Omicron variant had been detected, bringing to 18 the total number of cases that have been identified following whole genome sequencing.

As of 8am on Monday, 518 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, of which 108 were in ICU.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, said “we estimate that 11 per cent of cases are now due to the Omicron variant, an increase from less than 1 per cent only one week ago.

“While evidence on disease severity and immune escape is still emerging, it is clear this variant is more transmissible. We are hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

“Over the coming days and weeks global health authorities will learn more about this variant and the risks it poses. In the meantime, we continue to have confidence in the basic measures to reduce transmission.”

These included social distancing, working from home where possible, ensuring indoor spaces and public transport were ventilated, using face masks and staying at home and isolating if people experienced symptoms.

Fourth dose

In a follow-up statement on the booster decision, the department said Niac had also recommended a fourth dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) no sooner than three months after their third dose for those who are immunocompromised and for whom a third dose had been previously recommended as part of an extended vaccine schedule.

Niac has also recommended that those individuals who have received one dose of a two-dose primary vaccine schedule and who subsequently have a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, should complete their primary vaccination course four weeks after diagnosis or onset of symptoms.

Mr Donnelly said he welcomed the update from Niac.

“Decreasing the interval for booster doses is an important step given Ireland’s current epidemiological situation and the increasing concern we have about the spread of the Omicron variant. This step should serve to reduce serve disease, hospitalisation and deaths, as well as having an impact on infection rates,” Mr Donnelly said.

“Vaccination, along with our continued adherence to the public health advice offer the best protection we have against the current wave of infection driven by the Delta variant, and as we wait further evidence relating to the impact the Omicron variant may have.

“Continue to avoid crowds and reduce your contacts, wear a mask, including in crowded outdoor environments, keep your distance - if you feel unsafe, feel empowered to leave, open windows and avoid poorly ventilated indoor spaces and clean your hands regularly.

“Do not wait until after Christmas to receive your booster vaccine or come forward for your first dose, the benefits of receiving your booster dose far outweigh any potential risks that may arise in the meantime.”

Effectiveness

Earlier, the head of the State’s medicines watchdog said it was too early to tell how effective the Covid-19 vaccine booster campaign would be against the new Omicron variant.

Dr Lorraine Nolan, chief executive of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), said vaccines for Covid were among the safest ever made because they had been tested so vigorously.

The rollout of the vaccine programme in the State had been done on the basis of the best evidence available, and that continued to be the case, she said.

However, it was still too early to say how effective the booster campaign would be against the new Omicron variant, she said.

While the potency of the vaccine against infection did wane after three to four months, this was "not a cliff edge" and was a gradual process, she explained on RTÉ Radio 1's News at One. "We still have a lot to learn."

The HSE is currently finalising a new plan on the vaccination of more children against Covid-19 and the extension of the booster campaign to younger age groups. It is anticipated the new roadmap will be ready before the end of the week.

The Covid-19 vaccines for children had been manufactured under the strictest of safety protocols and were highly effective, added Dr Nolan.

Paul Moynagh, a professor of immunology at Maynooth University, said booster vaccines can protect the population from initial infection with the Covid-19 Omicron variant and delay infection levels from rising rapidly.

He added that given the limited capacity to roll out vaccines, younger children should be prioritised for jabs once older and vulnerable people have received their third dose.

Antibodies

Speaking before Mr Donnelly's announcement, Prof Moynagh said a booster campaign will "help to some degree" when fighting against variants of the virus.

“What a booster essentially does is to increase the amount of antibodies that you actually have because the antibodies protect against infection,” he said.

“But one of the other things that the booster does is it increases the repertoire or the diversity of antibodies that you produce so the antibodies have the potential to recognise even some variants that don’t currently exist.”

However, Prof Moynagh said attention would then have to turn to examining how long antibodies lasted.

"They tend to last for three to four months, we wait to see with the booster programme how long will these antibodies exist in our blood system," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

On whether boosters or vaccines for children should be prioritised, Prof Moynagh said that depended on the end goal.

“Protecting the vulnerable is the right thing to do in terms of targeting of the booster programme initially, moving down the age groups,” he said.

Prof Moynagh said if the objective then is to reduce transmission, prioritising the vaccination of children is a good idea due to the high incidence of the virus in that age group.

“It’s not a situation where you’re going to be competing with vaccines, but in terms of the availability of resources to roll out, probably better initially to focus on children,” he added.

Travel controls

Meanwhile, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said that the Government's policy on Covid-19 had always been to "follow the science" as part of a wider European response.

The situation with regard to travel, especially between Britain and Ireland, would continue to be reviewed, he said.

However, it was not feasible to “completely seal off” Ireland from the virus, a position which he said was supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO.

Asked about the possibility of further restrictions, Mr Ryan said that with Covid-19 it was not possible to rule out anything.

There were 10 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant on Monday in Northern Ireland, where deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill said "we are going to be overwhelmed with this new variant very, very soon".