Health

Q&A: Boosters for over 40s are available from today – what do we need to do?

More than 1.46 million boosters administered to date with 250,000 receiving a jab this week

If you had COVID-19 since you were vaccinated, you should get your booster dose at least six months after your positive COVID-19 test result. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Sat Dec 18 2021 - 13:31

People aged 40 to 49 will be able to receive their Covid-19 booster vaccine from Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the process.

Who is entitled to receive the vaccine?

People aged 40 to 49 who have already completed their primary course of Covid-19 vaccine will be able to avail of a booster dose when offered. The HSE said as it gives the best protection from serious illness caused by Covid-19.

Those 50 years and over will be also be accommodated at walk-in clinics and those in this eligible age cohort to come forward for their booster dose. As part of the Covid-19 vaccine booster programme, scheduled appointments for eligible groups to attend a vaccination centre will continue to be issued.

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How will I receive the vaccination?

When it is time for your vaccination, you may attend a designated walk-in vaccination clinic for your age group or you will get a text message from the HSE with a scheduled appointment. A full list of times and locations of the walk-in vaccination centres is available on the HSE website.

What vaccine is available?

People aged 40 to 49 will be offered a single dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna) vaccine. You can get these vaccines even if you got a different type vaccine for your primary course (AstraZeneca, Janssen, Pfizer or Moderna).

The booster dose should be given at a minimum of a three-month interval from a person's last dose of a primary Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca).

If you have had the single-dose Janssen vaccine and in an eligible age group or risk group eligible for a booster Covid-19 vaccine at this time, you need to wait at least three months before attending for your booster Covid-19 dose.

If you had Covid-19 since you were vaccinated, you should get your booster dose at least six months after your positive Covid-19 test result.

More information on the Covid-19 booster vaccine is available here.

What should I bring?

Please bring a photo ID with you. ID can include one of the following: passport, driver’s licence, Garda age card, student/school ID etc, but if your ID doesn’t include your date of birth, bring proof of your date of birth (e.g. your birth cert).

If you are a healthcare worker and attending a walk-in clinic, please also bring evidence of your place of work as you will not be able to get your booster dose without it.

How can I cancel or change my appointment

If you want to cancel your appointment, reply to your appointment text with the word ‘Reject’.

If you cannot attend your appointment, you can ask for a new one. Reply to the text message sent to you with the word ‘New’. If you would like to change to a different vaccination centre fill in the vaccination centre change form, or call HSELive on 1800 700 700

It may not be possible to go to the same vaccination centre where you were vaccinated before.

What about other age groups such as those aged under 40?

A schedule for appointments of other groups has yet to be announced by the HSE, but it is expected shortly.

How many people have received the booster to date?

More than 1.46 million booster jabs and third-dose vaccines have been administered. Yesterday, over 55,000 people received a vaccine with almost 250,000 vaccines administered from Monday to Friday, according to HSE chief executive Paul Reid.

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