Dr. Tony Holohan:

That is a smaller group of individuals. As I said, clinical assessments, as well as public health assessments, will be important for those individuals with regard to the measures to be taken, such as vaccinations, medicines, how they respond to symptoms when they have them, and measures that other members of their households might have to take, because there is a requirement for their household members to limit the possibility of them picking up this infection and transmitting it to those individuals. A number of those measures will be required. Many immunocompromised people doubtless have a high degree of understanding of the nature of their immunity and the things they need to do to protect themselves from a range of infections that were already there. Many common respiratory viral infections have similar potential for severe illness from their point of view. They would be practised and familiar with the kinds of things that they need to do to manage and mitigate their own individual risk. It is a matter of adding Covid to those kinds of considerations in order that as they get out and about, they will be conscious of the necessary basic protective measures.

If the immunocompromised people are the concern, the basic protective measures that limit transmission will still have value for them, including social distancing, staying away from crowds, avoiding indoor environments and meeting up with people who are not from their own household, particularly in environments where there is a risk of transmission, and use of the high-grade masks that have been recommended for those individuals. Dr. Glynn covered the point earlier about the importance of those people being vaccinated when their time comes, which will be three months after their third booster. For them, that continued topping up of a vaccine is a question which is different to the topping up and boosting of vaccines for the rest of the population, because of their specific vulnerabilities.