Uptake of second covid booster well short of targets

Testing kits for covid-19. Picture: Sam Boal /Rollingnews.ie

The uptake of the second covid-19 booster vaccine has fallen well short of the target set by the HSE.

Figures released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that some 26% of eligible adults have taken a second booster since it was rolled out across the country in January.

This is well below the 75% target set by the HSE at the start of the year.

However, the Irish uptake is over 10% higher than the average across Europe.

The bloc has averaged an uptake of 14.3% since the second booster has been made available.

In Ireland, uptake of the second booster is lowest in the under-40 age groups. 

Of those aged 30 to 39, just 13% have taken the shot.

Only 7% of those in the 20 to 29 bracket have availed of the booster.

Just under 6% of 18 and 19-year-olds have been given a shot.

Professor Martin Cormican of the University of Galway said that the low uptake when compared to previous courses is likely caused by people perceiving the virus as less dangerous than in the past.

“The virus is still changing and circulating but very few people now get very sick or die from it and so people are likely to be less inclined to make the effort to make an appointment and travel for the vaccine.”

The uptake is significantly higher in older age groups. Over 80%of over 65s have gotten the booster.

The second booster is important for people whose immune system is likely to forget faster — that includes older people and people with a suppressed immune system.

“It looks like more of the people at highest risk are taking the booster vaccines,” said Prof Cormican.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme national lead Ellen Whelan said: “I encourage everyone to get their second booster dose.

“It will give ongoing protection from serious illness, and increase your immunity against infection from covid-19.

“We know this immunity tends to reduce after a period of months following your last vaccine.”

When the second booster was released, the HSE said that a 75% uptake rate would be necessary to combat new variants of covid-19 coming from the US, such as the kraken strain of the omicron variant.

The kraken variant now accounts for the majority of documented cases of covid in Ireland.