Casting a wider net.

Ireland is ramping up its booster strategy as the Omicron variant continues to loom large over the festive season.

Yesterday, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed that the waiting time between a second shot and a booster shot would be reduced to three months, from the original five.

“I have this evening accepted a recommendation from NIAC that the gap between completion of primary schedule of COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose will be reduced to three months. Boosters will continue to be offered in the priority order previously recommended.”

The announcement follows another heavy day of Covid numbers, with 4,688 new cases confirmed on Monday.

Speaking yesterday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan said: “Possible Omicron cases can be identified by the number of PCR results with ‘S gene target failure’ – just as we did when the alpha variant emerged a year ago. Using this methodology, we estimate that 11% of cases are now due to the Omicron variant, an increase from less than 1% only one week ago.

“While evidence on disease severity and immune escape is still emerging, it is clear this variant is more transmissible. We are hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

“Over the coming days and weeks global health authorities will learn more about this variant and the risks it poses. In the meantime, we continue to have confidence in the basic measures to reduce transmission.”