Those eligible for a Covid booster vaccine this winter will be given a new adapted dose that is effective in fighting against previous strains as well as the dominant Omicron variant.
An online portal has gone live for everyone deemed eligible for a Covid-19 booster vaccine this winter - including people aged 50 to 64, pregnant women and healthcare workers.
This is according to HSE National Lead for the Test, Trace and Vaccination Programme Eileen Whelan who confirmed the new “bivalent adapted vaccine” is in use in Ireland since October 3.
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Speaking to Newstalk’s Pat Kenny she explained: "The European Medicines Agency approved new, adapted vaccines this September, and the National Immunisation Office approved those adapted vaccines for use in Ireland starting this week on the 3rd of October.
"The international evidence is indicating that these new adapted vaccines are used as a booster, and they provide a broader range of protection for people who have had their primary vaccination - and provide a strengthening protection for strains of the new virus.”
In terms of who will be dosed with the new vaccines, Whelan said: "Everybody in the eligibility groups who is now entitled to a booster - whether it's your first, your second or your third booster - you will now get the bivalent adapted vaccine."
She added: "The portal is open now for anybody in the eligible groups to register, they don't have to wait any longer in their sequence".
Meanwhile, a free Flu vaccine is available to:
- People aged over-65
- Children aged two to 17
- Anyone with an underlying medical condition
- Healthcare workers
- Pregnant women
- People who are in regular contact with pigs or poultry
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