People aged 30-39 are to be invited to receive Covid-19 booster shots from Wednesday, the Health Service Executive has said.

People aged 16-29 who received a Janssen primary dose will also be invited for a booster vaccine, in line with guidance from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

People aged 30-39 will be offered a single dose of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. “You can get these vaccines even if you got a different type vaccine for your primary course,” said the HSE.

Hospital Report

It added that those attending for boosters must be three months on from their previous dose of the vaccine and should carry evidence of same with them as it will be checked at the vaccination centre.

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“If you had Covid-19 since you were vaccinated, you should get your booster dose at least three months after your positive Covid-19 test result,” it added.

Those 40 years and over will be also be accommodated at walk-in clinics.

Government sources said on Tuesday the Omicron variant now accounts for 87 per cent of all new cases and that this is expected to rise to nearly 100 per cent by the weekend.

In anticipation of large volumes of infections over the coming period the daily case number announced will be based on positive results uploaded to the HSE Covid Tracker app the preceding day, said the Department of Health.

With a significant surge in the number of people seeking PCR tests since Christmas, and reports that people are experiencing difficulties booking slots, the HSE said all 41 test centres countrywide will “open as normal” on Wednesday.

The capacity for tests has been substantially increased with the arrival of Omicron – from 150,000 PCR tests a week to 250,000 at present. The HSE says the capacity will shortly increase to 300,000 tests a week.

While the HSE has said it takes just under a day-and-a-half from referral for a test to a result being available, there is anecdotal evidence that many people have experienced considerable difficulties when trying to book appointments online for PCR tests.

Frustration

A man who suspects he has coronavirus contacted The Irish Times by text to say he has been trying to book a test for three days.

“Zero appointments available anywhere in the country, been checking multiple times and selecting different counties and there is zero,” he said. “So this has a knock-on effect of no close-contact tracing and will people bother going for a PCR test after symptoms passed?

“I’ve been visiting the HSE website six to eight times a day and been getting zero appointments available for the past three days. I am trying every county – none available.”

A HSE spokesperson said on Tuesday night that testing slots which are held for GPs, or close-contact referrals, may also be released (to others) over the course of each day.

“We advise people to check for testing appointments regularly. If anyone gets a positive antigen test result they should self-isolate and get a PCR test. If there are no test appointments available, they should check back later.”