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Health Minister Stephen donnelly asked authorities to clarify when people who have received the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine should receive a booster dose.
A new recommendation will see some people who have received the single injection vaccine (also known as Johnson & Johnson) receive a booster after three months.
But the recommendation of National Advisory Committee on Immunization (Niac) applies to people from the three groups newly included in the booster program: long-term care residents, people aged 16 to 59 with underlying conditions, and anyone aged 50 to 59 years.
No recommendations were made for the remainder of the 236,000 people who received the Janssen vaccine, despite numerous international studies indicating that its effectiveness declines rapidly over time.
In a recent study of U.S. veterans, the vaccine’s effectiveness against the infection fell from 86.4% to 13.1% in eight months, the largest drop for any licensed vaccine. Protection from death was higher for Janssen, at 52.5% after eight months.
In its recommendation, Niac said that people in the newly eligible categories who received the Janssen vaccine should be given a booster dose of mRNA after a three-month interval because it is “less effective” than a two-shot vaccine. Ireland stopped receiving vaccine shipments in August; 155,000 people had received the vaccine by July 18, four months ago.
Niac also decided not to recommend the Moderna vaccine to eligible people under the age of 30 “as a precaution”. A similar approach has been adopted by the authorities in France and Scandinavian countries after initial data showed a higher rate of myocarditis in young men who received Moderna compared to those who received Pfizer. These data are reviewed by the European Medicines Agency.
People aged 16 to 29 should receive a full dose of Pfizer vaccine at least six months after receiving their primary treatment of any Covid-19 vaccine.
For people 30 years of age and older, Pfizer vaccine or a half dose of Moderna should be given after an interval of six months, although for operational reasons a minimum interval of five months may be used.
Niac says there is early evidence that the rate of infection slows in people aged 75 to 79 due to the administration of boosters. Covid-19 infections have already declined in people aged 80 and over, where booster coverage is over 80%. He also describes as encouraging a decrease in the number of infections among healthcare workers during the second half of October.
Niac says the current surge is likely due to the Delta variant, declining vaccine immunity, and opening up of society.
“It is essential that all the health and social measures recommended to limit exposure to Covid-19 are respected. The booster doses will not immediately contribute to the management of the epidemic nor replace public health and social measures, ”he said.
Niac says he continues to examine new evidence regarding the sustainability of primary vaccine protection in other groups, such as the younger age groups who received the AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccines.
Chief Physician Dr Tony holohan endorsed Niac’s recommendations in a letter to Mr. Donnelly. “There are currently no data on the long-term effectiveness of the booster doses, so it is not known how long the benefits of the boosters may persist, or the extent of the effect of the boosters on the transmission of the booster. virus, “he said in the letter.
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