Covid booster recommended for everyone aged 16 and over

Following recommendations from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), booster vaccines will made available to everyone aged 16 and over.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has accepted the recommendations along with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), which will see the mRNA vaccine, Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna, administered first to pregnant women aged 16 and over, then people aged 40-49, followed by those aged 16-39.

The booster shot can be given at least five months after the second dose irrespective of whichever vaccine a person received.

However, those who received the Janssen (J&J) vaccine are eligible for the the booster after a minimum three month interval since their shot.

People who tested positive for the virus since they were vaccinated should wait for their booster until a minimum of six months after the infection was diagnosed.

As of this morning, there were 556 people in hospital with Covid-19, down 32 from the same time yesterday, with 126 patients in ICU.