Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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532. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration is being given to a proposal to give recipients of the one-shot vaccine (details supplied) a booster from three months after the injection in view of the fact that some territories do not consider these persons fully vaccinated. [58401/21]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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577. To ask the Minister for Health when the NIAC advice surrounding the vaccine (details supplied) and the booster programme will be implemented by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58671/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 532 and 577 together.

The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The NIAC makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practices in relation to immunisation.

On 25 November the NIAC recommended that a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine be offered to all persons aged 16 years and older. The NIAC advised that persons aged between 16-39 years who received an mRNA vaccine as their primary vaccine should be vaccinated in descending order by age cohort. Those aged 16-29 years who received Covid-19 vaccine Janssen as their primary vaccine can be offered a booster vaccine in parallel with those aged 30-39 years. Booster doses should be offered to those in previously recommended groups before progression to younger age cohorts.

The NIAC had previously recommended that a booster of an mRNA vaccine be offered to persons aged 16-59 years with underlying conditions, all residents in Long Term Healthcare Facilities and persons aged 50-59 years. The booster should be given after a minimum interval of five months following completion of the primary vaccination schedule for those that received Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty) Spikevax (Moderna) and Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca). Recipients of Covid-19 vaccine Janssen should receive an mRNA booster dose after an interval of three months. The Chief Medical Officer has endorsed these NIAC recommendations and has written to the HSE requesting they be operationalised as soon as possible.