Research finds almost 70% of people in Ireland have been infected with Covid 

From August 22, people can get boosters if over-55 and from August 29, those over-50 will be offered the jab.

 The latest Covid-19 booster vaccine campaign will offer the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for most eligible people, the HSE has said.

This expansion of the booster drive to pregnant women and over-60s — and shortly over-50s — comes as new data shows 69% of Irish people have signs of natural infection with the virus, indicating a high level of transmission in the population.

Booster shots are now available through HSE vaccination clinics, participating GPs and pharmacies, for anyone over 60, regardless of health status, and pregnant women at more than 16 weeks' gestation.

However, under-30s, including pregnant women aged between 16 and 29, will only be offered the Pfizer vaccine due to limits on the age at which people can receive Moderna.

“You can get these vaccines even if you got a different type of vaccine for your primary course,” a HSE spokeswoman said.

HSE national lead for the Covid-19 vaccine programme Eileen Whelan said this is just the start of a wider campaign.

“Over the next few weeks, boosters will be offered to people aged 50-64, and people with long term health conditions,” she said.

“We are inviting people initially in block of five years, starting with people aged 60-64, to ensure people have a smooth experience booking appointments online and getting their vaccine.” 

From August 22, people can get boosters if over-55 and from August 29, those over-50 will be offered the jab.

Children aged between five and 11 who are fully vaccinated are expected to soon receive invitations for their first boosters. 

There are just 116,000 fully-vaccinated children in this age group, out of an estimated 480,000.

The new data on seroprevalence levels of the virus indicating infection in Ireland is based on studies with blood donors in Dublin and Cork since October last year.

It shows 87% of 20-29 year olds have been infected, 71% of 30-49-year olds, and 60% of 50-79-year olds, according to the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

“It is not possible to identify re-infections in these data,” the report states. “The presence of antibodies in a participant’s blood is a sign that they were infected with the Covid-19 virus at some time in the past.” 

The HPSC said there was no specific “threshold level” of infection which would give an individual complete protection but that “higher antibody levels are likely to be associated with a lower probability of infection". 

Overall, the data shows 99% of the population shows evidence of antibodies to the virus through either infection or vaccination.

It also identified that antibody levels in people aged 60-79 started increasing again in late April, which tracked alongside the beginning of the booster vaccine campaign for this age group.

Monkeypox

New figures were also released on Wednesday on the growing number of monkeypox cases in Ireland.

There have now been 101 cases with four more people identified this week, according to the HPSC.

It said no additional people were admitted to hospital, with that number remaining at 10 overall. There have been no deaths linked to this virus here. 

Concern, however, has been expressed by various advocacy groups at the slow pace of a vaccine programme against this virus. 

Meanwhile, it was also announced on Wednesday that the NHS in London will start giving polio vaccines to children aged between one and nine, following identification of the virus in sewers.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said vaccine uptake among young children in London is “well below” the UK average.

“There is significant overlap between the local authorities with the lowest vaccine coverage and where VDPV2 has been detected,” it found.