Thousands of no-shows for boosters when health service under 'inconceivable strain'

The HSE is reducing the gap between administering the first vaccine dose and getting a booster from six months to five.

Thousands of people have failed to show up for Covid booster vaccines at a time when the health system is under “inconceivable strain”.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said some centres offering booster jabs have reported no-show rates of between 25% and 50%. 

Mr Reid surmised that people were refusing boosters because they felt sufficiently protected by the first two vaccines doses. 

"The more people receive boosters, the smaller number of people we expect to see in hospitals," he said. 

"We have seen some no-show rates in some centres varying from 25% to 50%. So it's a really important call to everybody. We are going to be dealing with significant levels of the population. We need those appointments utilised.

Maybe it's due to a sense of security among people feeling they have had two vaccines and don't need a booster, but we do know it's really important for people to come forward for it."

Mr Reid said the health service is facing the "highest level of impact and risk we've had to manage since Covid landed here".

He told a briefing on Thursday: "The situation in our hospitals and healthcare systems overall is very serious," as staff struggle to deliver both regular care and respond to the pressures of the fourth wave of the virus.

Mr Reid warned services would face "unyielding and unrelenting strain over the next while".

The HSE is reducing the gap between administering the first vaccine dose and getting a booster from six months to five. 

Up to Thursday, 420,119 boosters were administered, up from 389,706 the day before.

HSE lead on vaccines Damian McCallion said the reduced time period between vaccine doses would see more people in the 60-69 age cohort jabbed in the coming weeks.

Antigen testing in schools

In an effort to get to grips with Covid spreading in schools, free antigen testing will be offered to asymptomatic children when a pupil in their ‘pod’ receives a positive Covid test, starting from November 29.

The programme relies on parents informing school principals when their child receives a positive PCR test.

Antigen testing will also be offered to a full class if there are two or more cases in a week.

Tests will be posted to parents by the HSE but it will not be mandatory for children to take it. Children who are in a pod where a child has tested positive can continue to attend school if they are not experiencing symptoms of the virus.

Joe McKeown, Irish National Teachers Organisation president, said it would have taken a full month from the time the antigen scheme was announced to put a "very rudimentary" system in place.

"Each passing day will result in 500 or 600 more children testing positive, that we know about, and probably another 1,000 or so that don't know about continuing to come to our schools."