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Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he expects the use of Covid-19 booster vaccines to be extended "significantly" as case numbers of the virus continue to rise.
Speaking as he arrived for Monday evening’s Cabinet sub-committee meeting on Covid-19, Mr Donnelly said the evidence of the effectiveness of booster vaccines was “incredibly strong”.
About 1.4 million people had already been greenlighted for the boosters, with “additional advice” expected from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) this evening, he said.
There were “indications that it is positive in terms of adding a significant additional number to those availing of boosters,” the Minister said.
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The expectation in Government is that the booster programme will be expanded to include people aged 50-59, taking in around 600,000 extra people.
Government sources said they expect that under-50s with co-morbidities will also be included.
However, official Niac advice has not yet been received on the matter.
It is understood that 341,000 vaccine booster shots have been given under the enlarged programme up until Sunday last.
The most recent weekly breakdown, for the week commencing November1st, is that around 54,500 booster shots were given and 24,500 primary vaccinations, but it is expected that figure will have increased substantially last week as healthcare worker booster shots and those for the over 60s had only commenced that week.
The expectation at the beginning of last week was that upwards of 150,000 doses would be given.
The HSE has previously stated the rollout of any vaccination programme is faster when carried out on an age basis.
Cases numbers were “continuing to rise rapidly” and the pressure on Ireland’s hospital system, including ICU, is also continuing.
New modelling in the last few hours on Monday evening suggested the cases, hospitalisations and ICU would “continue to rise in the coming weeks.”
Against that, it was “all hands on deck in terms of getting the boosters out,” the Minister said.
Minister Donnelly reiterated the importance of anyone who is symptomatic to “please stay at home and get a PCR test.”
“We all need to reduce our social contacts at the moment. When it’s your turn to get a vaccine or a booster please get that,” he said.
“The cases we’re looking at in December are not yet infected so all the actions we can take now will make a big big difference.”