Covid booster jabs will be offered to children aged between 12 and 15.
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has accepted the new recommendations made by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to Dr Tony Holohan.
The advice says 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.
"For those 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: "In 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.
"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.
"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." Minister Donnelly concluded.
The Department of Health and the HSE will now work to operationalise these updates.
