Covid-19 boosters: 30-39s eligible for jabs as Ireland completes first year of vaccines

People queue to receive their booster vaccinations at Citywest vaccination centre in Dublin. Photo: Damien Eagers

People aged between 30 and 39 are eligible to receive their Covid-19 booster jab from today, exactly one year on from when the first Covid-19 vaccines were administered here.

Those aged 16-29 who had previously received the Janssen vaccine can also receive their booster from today, in line with guidance from the National Immunisation Advisory Council (Niac).

Anyone due to receive a booster can attend a walk-in vaccination clinic for their age group, or they will get a text message from the HSE with an appointment time slot. Appointments for boosters at some vaccination clinics, and participating GP practices or pharmacies, can also be booked online.

Those wishing to get their booster dose should only do so if it has been at least three months since they completed their previous vaccine course, and if they have not contracted Covid-19 in the time since.

People aged 30 to 39 will be offered a single dose of an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna.

The HSE said people can receive these vaccines “even if you got a different type (of) vaccine for your primary course”.

Meanwhile, today marks exactly 12 months since the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered in Ireland. 

12 months ago today, our 1st #COVID19 vaccines were administered to Annie Lynch & Clin Nurse Mgr Bernie Waterhouse.

Since then,

💉 >9.5m vaccine doses have been administered

💉 94.2% of our adult population are fully vaccinated

💉 >2m booster/3rd doses have been administered pic.twitter.com/muX77VOGWR

— Brian MacCraith (@muirtheimhne) December 29, 2021

One year ago, Dublin grandmother Annie Lynch received her first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at St James' Hospital in the capital. A short time later, Bernie Waterhouse, Clinical Nurse Manager at the hospital, got her first jab.

Since then, some 9.5m vaccine doses have been administered in Ireland, including two million booster jabs.

Behave as if you have Covid if you have symptoms or a positive antigen test - HSE

Speaking this morning, HSE Chief Operations Officer (COO), Dr Anne O’Connor, called on the public to get their booster vaccine and to behave as if they have Covid, if they have symptoms or a positive antigen test.

Dr O’Connor said that there will be pressure on capacity in hospitals next week, as there usually is after Christmas, but this year's pressure would be compounded by staffing levels which are reduced because of staff who are close contacts.

"We can’t run a service without staff," she said. 

Under a derogation agreement staff who are a close contact but are asymptomatic can return to work following a risk assessment and subject to regular antigen tests, she said. 

Dr O’Connor defended the HSE's PCR testing system, pointing out that between 30,000 to 40,000 tests were being carried out every day which was an unprecedented level. 

She said she understood that people were upset due to being unable to get an appointment, but the system “can only do so much”, she told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland.

Dr O'Connor went on to say that, at present, the healthcare system was coping well with 532 Covid patients in hospital, of whom 92 were in ICU. 

HSE COO, Dr Anne O'Connor: "We can’t run a service without staff." File Picture: Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland

However, figures were growing every day, she said, with 99 new patients admitted with Covid-19 yesterday.

"Every year there was a surge in the new year – last year it was from Covid, the previous year it was with flu," she explained. "Capacity was always created before Christmas to prepare for the anticipated new year surge."

The HSE COO said Model 3 hospitals such as Letterkenny, Mullingar and Tullamore were very busy and would soon run out of beds, while larger Model 4 hospitals like Beaumont, the Mater and St James were also “quite busy.” 

She said that capacity will be challenged in the coming weeks, but patients requiring care for cancer and cardiac conditions would be prioritised, and that capacity in private hospitals would also be accessed. 

“There is no place in the health service sitting quiet. This will pass, we just need to get through the next few weeks,” she added.