Covid-19 booster jabs will be offered to children aged between 12 and 15, Stephen Donnelly has confirmed.
It comes after the Minister for Health accepted recommendations made by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to Dr Tony Holohan.
The advice states that a booster dose of the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty, the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech, should be given at an interval of six months or longer since completion of the primary vaccine series.
Meanwhile, for children and young people aged 12 – 15 years who have experienced a breakthrough infection, the booster dose should be deferred for at least six months following the onset of infection.
Minister Donnelly said that for adults a booster dose with an mRNA vaccine "significantly improves protection" against severe outcomes, symptomatic diseases and infection from the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
He said: "NIAC have indicated that vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection and hospitalisation was restored to 60-75% and 90% respectively, two to four weeks after administration of a booster in the adult population.
"Covid-19 vaccines continue to prove remarkably effective and so it is really important that anyone yet to receive any course of Covid-19 vaccine does so as soon as possible, including those aged 5 – 11 years who are eligible to receive a Pfizer vaccine.
Minister Donnelly said: "The evidence also shows that those who have been boosted are less susceptible to infection and, if infected, are less infectious to others, compared with those who have not been boosted. If you are yet to receive your booster, please do so as soon as possible – it will protect you and those around you."
The Minister said the provision of boosters to 12-15-year-olds is expected to begin soon, as vaccination centres are currently experiencing low levels of demand.
It comes after another the Department of Health reported 3,473 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Monday, while a further 2,865 people have registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.
That brings Monday's case total to 6,338.
It also confirmed that as of 8am on Monday, 634 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, of whom 53 were in ICU.
As well as reporting these latest Covid figures, the Nphet statement also included new case figures for the weekend.
On Sunday, another 3,351 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported, while a further 2,574 positive antigen tests were recorded through the HSE portal.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, another 4,847 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported, while a further 3,076 positive antigen tests were recorded through the portal.
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