“Better decision” to open boosters to people in their 40s and above, despite a surge in attendance – HSE Vaccination Lead

The head of the national vaccination program has confirmed that more than 1.5 million people have been vaccinated with the Covid-19 booster vaccine since the program began.

e said the surge in attendance was expected to open the booster program to people in their 40s and above, which was the best decision.

Damien McCallion, who is also responsible for the Covid-19 test program, said more than 300,000 people have received “additional doses” in the last seven days.

Yesterday, a booster campaign was launched targeting people in the 40-49 age group, causing long delays at vaccination centers across the country, forcing some to even keep people away.

Dublin’s Citywest opened at 8:30 am, but HSE announced that it had reached walk-in capacity by 10 am.

There were reports that other centers temporarily alienated people, but in some places the queue was described as moderate.

This morning, McCarion said HSE was aware that opening a booster campaign to people over the age of 40 would lead to a surge, but overall that was the best decision.

“One of the things I did over the weekend was that I found that the capacity wasn’t being fully utilized and decided to switch on the 40s and above earlier than planned to generate demand for the center,” he said. Told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Program.

“It’s a population group of just under 500,000. We knew it would grow obviously, but we’d like to vaccinate more people, harness their abilities, and vaccinate this side of Christmas. I felt the balance was to make better decisions to increase, “he added.

McCarion said HSE will provide live updates on its Twitter page and work with media outlets to provide vaccination center queue updates during peak hours.

For those who are currently qualified as boosters but are also worried about using the walk-in system, McCarion said reservations can be made through HSE.

“A very important point to tell is that we continue to provide appointments through vaccination centers and general practice. We know that some people are probably worried about walk-ins-they are medically concerned. It may not be suitable for them if they are vulnerable or elderly-and we also take advantage of walk-ins or actually contact them when they are scheduled, if possible. Encourage that to make an appointment at the pharmacy, “he explained.

McCarion confirmed that more than 8,500 people have been booked for vaccine reservations at the Citywest site in Dublin today. He said people should put in getting booster doses “towards the top of your list in the next few weeks.”

McCarion does not set an exact goal for how many people the HSE wants to grow by the end of the year, but the goal is for everyone over the age of 50, medically vulnerable, medical workers, and caregivers. By January, there was a “sufficient opportunity” for a person to be vaccinated, to make an appointment, or to access a walk-in clinic or pharmacy.

The Walk-in Star Clinic is currently open to people over 40 years, healthcare professionals, and medically vulnerable people, but the National Immunological Advisory Board (NIAC) has boosted all over 16 years. I confirmed that it should be given to people.

McCarion said the reason the walk-in center isn’t open to everyone is that certain groups are still prioritized and working “in turn.”

Meanwhile, in connection with the country’s Covid-19 testing system, McCarion said HSE was able to process 250,000 PCRs and 100,000 antigens per week.

He said the capacity of the system was still increasing, but warned that the spread of Omicron variants to the community would reduce the usefulness of contact tracing systems.

“When we enter the scenario where the disease is ubiquitous in the community, the value of contact tracing doses is slightly diminished.

“We have a clear idea to capture as much information as possible on the test side electronically from the perspective of automating the process so that the test system can be used most effectively during the period of rapid growth. I’ve confirmed that I have a prioritization rule, “he added.