Care homes say government must stay ‘ahead’ of fourth Covid-19 sting problem

The nursing home sector has called on the government to stay “ahead” of international guidelines on fourth doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for the elderly pending official advice on the vaccine.

Tadhg Daly, managing director of retirement homes Ireland, said the fourth doses should “absolutely” be considered in light of the extra protection it provides for the elderly in Israel.

“We should monitor what is happening in other jurisdictions and gather the evidence that a fourth dose or a variant of existing vaccines is appropriate,” Daly said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan wrote to National Immunization Advisory Committee for recommendations on the next phase of vaccinations, including fourth shots.

It has been about three months since many nursing home residents received their third booster dose. Israel pointed to signs of waning immunity a few months after their third doses by deciding to proceed with four doses for people over 60 who are more vulnerable to Covid-19.

Last week, Dr Holohan urged caution in following Israel’s decision, saying the primary function of vaccination to protect people from serious infection “has held up very well”.

He asked NIAC to consider the scope of the next phase of the vaccination program, including whether there should be booster doses in the general population every three or four months or more targeted vaccinations for populations at risk at shorter intervals.

“We have to sort this out carefully but quickly,” he said.

Frequent boosters

A sevenfold increase in new outbreaks of Covid-19 in care homes to 56 in the past week is putting added pressure on a quick decision on whether a fourth dose is needed.

Tanaist Leo Varadkar Recount TEN yesterday that the elderly and medically vulnerable might need a Covid-19 vaccine every year “like we do for the flu”.

the European Medicines Agency warned last week that frequent booster shots could harm the immune system and may not be feasible. He recommended that countries allow more time between vaccines and link them to the start of the cold season.

Meanwhile, Nursing Homes Ireland has called on the government to act urgently to tackle the staffing crisis in nursing homes by publishing a new survey showing the ‘state of emergency’ in the nursing home sector. care in recruiting and retaining staff.

The survey of 118 care homes showed the departure of more than 1,000 carers and 300 nurses from the sector in the past year, suggesting that up to 4,000 carers and 1,200 nurses could have leave care homes during this time.