DUBLIN: Nursing home residents, people over the age of 80, and frontline healthcare workers will be the first in Ireland to receive COVID-19 booster doses.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has issued fresh advice to the government, recommending that booster shots be given first to vulnerable groups, including as those with underlying medical conditions.
The decision was made when the cabinet met yesterday to consider a planned booster shots campaign.
According to a government spokesperson, the preliminary proposals will be updated in the coming weeks, and the shots would most likely be administered in the autumn or winter.
The Cabinet also discussed plans to include the Valneva COVID-19 vaccine to the existing vaccine list. Ireland may sign on to the EU’s pre-purchase agreement for the Valneva vaccine, which is scheduled to be delivered next year.
However, nearly a month after being announced, the plan to purchase up to one million doses from Romania has yet to be agreed upon, and negotiations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the government has agreed to raise the number of guests permitted at weddings and receptions from 50 to 100 from August 5th.
Restrictions on baptisms will also be lifted on the same date, but only the religious element will be permitted, not the following gathering. Up to 50 people can attend the baptism from August 5.
The Cabinet has also decided to make coronavirus vaccinations available to children aged 12 to 15. The decision was made on the basis of advice from National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
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