Nphet moves to clarify 'vaccine bonus' scenarios

Under plans announced on Thursday, fully vaccinated people will be allowed meet indoors with one unvaccinated household from May 10, provided they are not at risk of severe illness and no more than three households are present. 

People who have received one dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be considered fully vaccinated before their second dose for the purposes of the so-called "vaccine bonus".

Under plans announced on Thursday, fully vaccinated people will be allowed meet indoors with one unvaccinated household from May 10, provided they are not at risk of severe illness and no more than three households are present. 

These visits do not require the wearing of masks or maintaining social distancing and were designed as a measure to allow vaccinated grandparents see their grandchildren.

There was confusion on Thursday after a table that showed when people who had received different brands of vaccine would be considered fully vaccinated was taken from Gov.ie website.

However, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said on Friday that this guidance was still in place.

It will mean that people are considered fully vaccinated:

• Four weeks after their first dose of AstraZeneca.
• Two weeks after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
• Two weeks after their second dose of Moderna.
• One week after their second dose of Pfizer.
• If they have had a PCR-confirmed case of Covid-19 in the last six months.

Dr Holohan said the consideration had been made based on evidence of protection from the virus from different vaccines. However, he stressed the second dose of AstraZeneca would still be needed.

"The evidence is very clear that the first dose of AstraZeneca is giving, broadly speaking after a period of four weeks, a similar level of protection to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The reality is that everyone is only getting one vaccine, so people just need to understand the vaccine that they're getting. Our advice is that four weeks after the first dose [of AstraZeneca], the vaccine dividend will apply."

Dr Holohan said a "practical example" of the vaccine bonus was grandparents meeting grandchildren and added that those who have had a laboratory-confirmed case of Covid would be able to avail of the bonus "whether they're vaccinated or not".

Confusion about cinemas

There had also been confusion about the status of cinemas. The Government website had announced they would open on June 7, but this was later changed to say that work was under way in "preparation for the safe reopening of cinemas and theatres in June subject to public health advice".

A Government spokesperson told The Irish Examiner that this had always been the intention and the original iteration of the advice was an error.

Culture minister Catherine Martin said on Thursday she was "delighted to confirm that we are looking at the safe reopening of cinemas and theatres in June", but a specific date has not yet been decided. The National Campaign for the Arts said it was seeking clarity for its members on when they may be likely to reopen.

Sources said a decision on the next steps of reopening beyond June 7 will be made in the week before the June bank holiday.

Dr Holohan said indoor socialising like cinemas would be "in a different category" of risk to outdoor activities.