Q&A: Covid vaccine boosters – who is eligible, where to get them, which dose is offered

The spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 is putting pressure on the HSE to ramp up the programme of third booster vaccine doses that offer the best protection against it.

So far, more than 1.3 million booster and third jabs have been administered, with the aim of increasing the supply from more than 200,000 doses last week to about 300,000 a week.

Who is currently eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine booster?

Right now, the only people eligible for boosters are all those aged 50 and over, all those aged 16 and over with an underlying health condition, people who have weakened immune systems (considered a third dose rather than a booster for them), people of all ages living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, and all healthcare workers. That’s about 2.2 million people in all.

But are other age groups not eligible too?

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has recommended booster jabs for other groups, but the HSE has yet to start administering boosters to these groups. This will happen soon. They include – in order of priority – pregnant women aged 16 years and older, people in their 40s and then those aged 16 to 39 in descending order by age, in blocks of 10-year age cohorts.

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Hang on, I heard that people under 50 were booking booster appointments?

That was an error. Pharmacies started taking bookings for people in their 40s, 30s and 20s alongside those aged 50 and over but the HSE said an instruction to pharmacies was sent "in error", according to the Irish Pharmacy Union. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said on Wednesday night that people aged 40 years and over could get their booster vaccinations from the week beginning December 27th. Pregnant women will be able to get their boosters this weekend through vaccination centres, GP surgeries and pharmacies.

Where can you receive booster doses?

Booster doses are being administered through the HSE’s vaccination centres around the country and through GP surgeries and pharmacies. Eligible people are being called to booster appointments at vaccination centres by text message, or they can get their boosters through walk-in clinics or by booking an appointment with a participating pharmacy.

What should I do if I get this text and have already got my booster?

Text back the word “reject”.

What if I had Covid in the past six months?

You cannot get a booster for six months if you have had a laboratory-confirmed positive Covid-19 test in the past six months. There are a lot of you: more than 300,000 people have caught Covid since June. If you get a text message from the HSE calling you to a booster appointment, you can reply “Covid” and you won’t be called again to an appointment for six weeks, or you can fill out a form on the HSE’s website. This is a placeholder arrangement put in place so people can be contacted again. People are asked not to go for a booster appointment if they currently have Covid-19, have symptoms or are restricting their movements.

What vaccine will you get for your booster?

If you are 30 years or older, you will receive a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna. If you are younger, you will receive a single dose of Pfizer.

What is the Government doing to ramp up the booster programme?

Operating hours in vaccination centres have been extended – from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week – for both walk-in and appointment clinics. Centres will be closed on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day. The HSE’s website and Twitter account shows times that walk-ins are available and the waiting times at different clinics.

More vaccination booths are being added to increase capacity at vaccination centres, while new vaccination centres are being opened, including at Richmond Barracks in Dublin, which opens this week, and the RDS in Dublin, which opens the week beginning December 27th, and a second centre in Cork city from early January. More GP surgeries will start vaccinating – from more than 75 per cent currently to full participation – doubling the number of weekly boosters administered by GPs, from 80,000 doses last week to about 160,000. The HSE is seeking the support of 1,300 GP surgeries in all.

The number of pharmacies administering boosters will rise to 700 this week and to 1,000 in January. The 15-minute post-vaccination observation period has been waived too, which will get more people boosted. It’s all about getting as many jabs in as many arms as quickly as possible because Omicron is spreading.

Has eligibility criteria changed?

Yes, you only have to wait three months instead of at least five months since your last dose to get a booster. This was shortened earlier this week to get more people protected.

Are primary doses still being administered?

Yes, any unvaccinated people can still avail of a first dose. About 600 first doses are being given every day. The HSE will begin vaccinating children aged between five and 11 with first doses on December 20th, starting with higher priority, more vulnerable children in paediatric hospitals. Online registration will open for children with underlying conditions from December 28th. Remaining high-risk children will be vaccinated from January 3rd through vaccination centres with dedicated clinics, before first doses will be offered more generally to all children aged between five and 11, starting on Monday, January 10th.

Why are we getting these boosters again?

The science tells us that immunity from primary two-dose vaccination wanes after a few months and that boosters help to neutralise the new Omicron variant. Pfizer and BioNTech, whose vaccine is the most used in Ireland, has said that third doses boost protection against the Omicron 25-fold, compared with the initial two doses. Boosters are regarded as the best way to protect people against a variant that is considerably more transmissible than earlier mutations.

Are boosters working?

Yes. Among people aged 60 and over, the boosters have resulted in a decline in the number of people requiring hospital treatment since the programme began in the autumn.