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IT IS LIKELY that large numbers of the population will need booster shots of the vaccine later this year and into next year, the Cabinet was told today.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly got government approval for a purchase agreement for 1.8 million doses of the Moderna vaccine for use in 2022.
He also got approval to exercise an option for an additional 1.1 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for delivery in 2022.
Cabinet heard significant progress has been made in the roll out of the vaccine program, however, ministers were told that the scientific advice indicates that variants will continue to evolve, and that vaccine immunity is not indefinite.
It also heard that vaccination should be extended to persons under 16 years of age.
“Therefore, it is considered likely that booster shots will be needed for a very high proportion of the population over the coming months and next year,” a spokesperson for government confirmed this evening.
Ireland has already entered into multiple contracts for the delivery of vaccines across a range of manufacturers for delivery this year and in 2022.
By the end of June 2021, Ireland will have received 5.3 million doses of the four vaccines approved so far.
Ireland is contracted to receive up to another 11.2 million doses between July and the end 2021, including CureVac, if approved by authorities.
A recent purchase agreement with Pfizer will see 4.9 million doses in 2022 and 2023.
Ministers were also told that that interval between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been shortened from 12 weeks to eight weeks, with the roll out of the second doses to be complete in mid to late July.
As of 20 June, 629,000 people in the 40 to 49 cohort have registered for a vaccine. The plan is to administer 300,000 vaccine doses this week.
There are 294 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland today.
The numbers in hospital continues to fall, with the Department of Health reporting that 39 patients with Covid-19 are in hospital today, including 13 in ICU.
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I wonder is this going to become an annual thing forever more?
@Quiet Goer: of course it will, at least for the foreseeable. Because there’s large amounts of people who wont/can’t get vaccinated, the risk of variants emerging will be there every time it’s passed on from one to another.
Before the tinfoil hat squad take up arms, look at the annual flu jab for a real world example where they suggest getting it each year.
@Quiet Goer: Covid-19 is more than likely going to become endemic, due to some not getting vaccinated or in those countries where the vaccine is not available, allowing it to continue to circulate and evolve different strains, like the flu. So yea, vaccine every year more than likely.
@Quiet Goer: More than likely I would imagine, as different variants continue to emerge it seems that either a top up or slightly tweaked vaccines will be required for a while at least. Hopefully not but I think it’s very possible. Please read below for complete outrage and meltdown
@Quiet Goer: Note the following comment does not comply with the prescribed narrative. Therefore it will be deleted ASAP by the Ministry of Truth. Read it quick! Several virologists have suggested that mass vaccination is only effective prior to a pandemic when numbers are small and the virus doesn’t have a chance to evolve. In fact they suggest that our approach has entered us into an arms race with the virus. Source Gert Van Den Bosch (phd virology).
Now I don’t know if the above scientific hypothesis is true because I don’t have a phd. But neither does the person who will delete this message. And neither do the people who might comment negatively about it. But Gert Van Den Bosche does.
Aren’t we all better off if we get to hear about how many different scientists around the world are thinking about this situation. Apparently not.
@Gavin Nicholson: your comment hasn’t been deleted
@EillieEs: Yippie. There’s a first time for everything!!! The narrative nanny must be asleep. I’m sure they’ll be along any time soon.
@Quiet Goer: While transmission is low during the summer months (remember this happened last summer with no vaccines) wonder, now the vulnerable are vaccinated, would it not have made more sense to launch a widescale vaccination drive in September to see us through the winter? I guess more cha-ching with the boosters.
@Toon Army: Transmission was low last summer because we had come out of a lockdown and the virus wasnt in the community….. While there is naturally more transmission of viruses in the winter because people are indoors more this virus is alot different than the seasonal flu. The newer more transmissible variants dont help things either….. So summer or winter this thing will spread. The faster the vaccienes are rolled out and we can return to a semi normal life the better. If we waited until September to mass vaccinate there would be no indoor dining, pubs, hotels, office work…. Etc until after that was well under way.
@Paul Hedderman: Not really true. UK was fully open last summer and they saw numbers plummet.
Ah ya the boosters, its all about the money
@Alan Leamy: What? It’s about future supply. If they were sold out and we had to go abroad to get them, if we could afford it, you’d be the first to give out that we hadn’t enough to go around.
BS!
@Michael Clair: Did you write that all on your own?
@Tommy Berry: he’s a doctor and fully certified virus. He knows everything
Chu chu. All aboard the money train. Guess which company made 17billion profit this year?
@Captain ‘First Dose’ Unsensible: No need for the personal insults Captain. Please try to remain civil. Such huge profits incentives do tend to compromise multinational corporations. Think back a couple of years before the propaganda machine got you. Would you have said you trusted the big pharma companies back then?
@Gavin Nicholson: “Think back a couple of years before the propaganda machine got you. Would you have said you trusted the big pharma companies back then?”
It’s amazing what fear can achieve.
@Gavin Nicholson: Plenty of profit is made off all other medications and vaccines too. It’s not some money making conspiracy, it’s just healthcare provision.
I’d be more than happy to get the occasional booster shot, much as I get my routine yearly flu vaccination or the occasional hepatitis B booster if needed to boost antibody levels.
Forever, forever, ever, forever, ever?
@Jack Burton: I’m sorry, Ms Jackson, I am for real.
So, that’s 16.4 million doses of vaccines THIS YEAR for an entire population of just 5m. Just how many vulnerable people do these psychopaths think we have? What an enormous waste of money and resources.
@Jason Shortt: I think the 11.2 million was a misprint.
Covid, like any coronavirus, is becoming more transmissible and less lethal. Vaccine or not, this is over. Time to move on with our lives.
@Seán C: while the rule of thumb is that the more transmissible a virus is the less lethal it is, there is no evidence of this with the SARS-COV2 yet…
What’s new here ? It was always clear that an annual booster is required, like any other flue shot
@Angelika Passet: “Any other flu shot”?
@Angelika Passet: no it wasn’t. You are gaslighting.
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In big pharma’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In big pharma’s world
Aha
Good, but not good enough. Triple vaxx vulnerable cohorts, and their carers now. Luke O’Neill on Pat Kenny said that even immune compromised people can get a strong antibody response after a 3rd dose. More vaccines, harder, faster, please.
@John Hazelnut: Maybe we could hang on until some people get their first dose before we start looking at giving people a third dose
@The Divils Avocado: I agree that every one should be protected, but if you don’t want lockdowns, the vulnerable have to be protected best.
Is this when Cilla Black jumps out …..?
Will you be able to download apps too.. :)
Vaccine Police next …
It amazes me the amount of experts we have on twitter
have your say