Booster Covid-19 shots finally given green light for doctors and nurses

Covid-19 vaccine booster shots have finally been approved for doctors, nurses and all other health care staff.

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, confirmed the extension of the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme to healthcare workers in a statement issued on November 2.

Several calls had been made by experts on the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to recommend booster shots due to the resurgence of the virus.

The Department of Health says that NIAC has recommended that a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine be offered to all frontline healthcare workers who have completed their primary course with any COVID-19 vaccine. As with other cohorts, the booster dose should ideally be given six months (with a minimum interval of five months) following completion of the primary vaccination schedule.

The recommendation was made to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) who has endorsed the moved.

“NIAC have today recommended a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine for healthcare workers to be given six months following completion of their primary vaccination schedule," he said.

He added that staff are catching the virus in the community so he urged people to follow the basic steps to avoid catching and spreading the virus.

“NIAC have also noted that breakthrough infections in healthcare workers are largely acquired in the community. We know that vaccination is very successful at preventing severe illness and hospitalisation. We also know that even when vaccinated we still need to maintain other basic public health interventions - washing our hands, opening windows, wearing masks and most importantly, staying home when we have symptoms.

"These simple measures have shown themselves right through the pandemic to be very successful at breaking the chains of transmission of this disease.

“As we practice all elements of the public health advice, we keep ourselves and our loved ones safe,” he said.

The Department added that if a healthcare worker has had laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection after a completed primary vaccine course (i.e., a breakthrough infection), the booster dose should be delayed for at least six months after the COVID-19 infection was diagnosed.

Minister Donnelly said: “Our frontline healthcare workers have been at the cold face of this pandemic for almost two years, caring for those most vulnerable and making extraordinary personal sacrifices. As with all decisions regarding the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, the NIAC have reviewed international evidence in presenting these recommendations.”

“I am working with my Department and the HSE to implement these recommendations as soon as possible.”

“It is important that we remember that vaccination, along with our continued adherence to the public health advice we are all so familiar with are the best ways we can protect each other.”

Up to 3,500 health staff are currently absent from work because of Covid-related illnesses.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), welcomed the booster extension.

“This decision was made later than we would have liked. We now need to see a rapid rollout of the vaccine boosters to healthcare workers to make up for lost time. The vaccine supply and capacity to do so is there.

“A lot needs to happen now to keep our hospitals safe for the winter. We can see from today’s trolley figures and the number of healthcare workers who are on COVID-related leave that unless the Minister for Health and the HSE produce a credible winter plan that our hospitals will be in a bad place this winter,” they said.

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