Spring Covid-19 booster jab on offer to at-risk groups from next week

Older people and those who have weakened immune systems are being offered a Spring Covid-19 vaccine booster from next Monday.

The booster shot is available to people aged 80 and over, those aged five and older who have a weak immune system and residents in nursing homes.

People aged 70 to 79 may also request a vaccine if they want one following discussion with their doctor, the HSE said.

The vaccines will be available from participating GPs and pharmacists. HSE vaccination teams will also provide the vaccine for people living in residential care facilities including nursing homes, and individuals who are housebound.

Dr Lucy Jessop, Director of the HSE National Immunisation Office, said: “We know that people’s immunity from the Covid-19 vaccine weakens over time, especially in older people.

“This latest booster will keep them protected from serious illness and boost their immunity against infection from Covid-19.

“We aim to complete this Covid-19 Spring booster programme by the end of May and we are urging everyone eligible to take up this opportunity to protect themselves by getting vaccinated at this time.

“It is vital that all those who are eligible, get their free booster vaccines from participating pharmacies or GPs. For children aged 5 – 11 years who are eligible for a vaccine, the HSE will contact parents/guardians directly to attend a dedicated vaccine clinic.”

In line with NIAC advice people aged 70 to 79 may also request a vaccine if they so wish following discussion with their healthcare provider.

For more information on the covid-19 Spring booster programme visit hse.ie, call HSELive on 1800 700 700 or talk to a participating GP or pharmacist.

The latest report on covid-19 shows there were 189 new cases of the virus last week, an increase of 26.8pc on the previous week.

The highest number of confirmed cases was in the age group 75-84. Since the start of the pandemic there have been 9,707 Covid related deaths.

Meanwhile, a patient who had Covid-19 infection for a record 613 day led to a new variant developing, according to new research.

The research to be presented at next week’s ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona, Spain highlights the risk of new immune-evasive variants emerging in immunocompromised patients.

To the authors knowledge, it is the longest SARS-CoV-2 infection duration to date, although several cases of hundreds of days have been previously recorded.

The report is by PhD candidate Magda Vergouwe, Centre for Experimental and Molecular Medicine (CEMM), Amsterdam University Medical Center (Amsterdam UMC), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands and colleagues.

While healthy SARS-CoV-2 infected patients can clear the virus within a period of days to weeks, an immunocompromised individual can develop a persistent infection with prolonged viral replication and evolution.

For instance, it is thought that the initial emergence of the Omicron variant originated in an immunocompromised individual, highlighting the importance of close genomic surveillance in this patient population.

In addition, the use of targeted immune pressure, including monoclonal antibody therapies and novel antivirals, can further promote the emergence of viral escape variants.

Vergouwe and colleagues describe in their report a 72-year-old immunocompromised male patient who was admitted to Amsterdam University Medical Centre in February 2022 with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Previously, he had already received multiple Covid jabs without a measurable antibody response at hospital admission.

Routine genomic surveillance showed infection with Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.1.17. He received treatment with the anti-SARS-CoV-2 directed antibody sotrovimab, the anti-IL6 antibody sarilumab and dexamethasone without clinical response.

The authors say the research underscores the risk of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised individuals as unique SARS-CoV-2 viral variants may emerge due to extensive intra-host evolution.

”We emphasise the importance of continuing genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 evolution in immunocompromised individuals with persistent infections given the potential public health threat of possibly introducing viral escape variants into the community.”

While close surveillance is necessary the authors highlight that there must be a balance between protecting the public from potential new variants and humane supportive care at home of severely ill patients near the end of life. Possible solutions can include an increased awareness of potential risks combined with providing early accessible diagnostic testing of known (family) contacts as soon as they develop relevant symptoms.

They said: “The duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this described case is extreme, but prolonged infections in immunocompromised patients are much more common compared to the general community.

“Further work by our team includes describing a cohort of prolonged infections in immunocompromised patients from our hospital with infection durations varying between 1 month and 2 years.

“However, from the viewpoint of the general public, prolonged infections remain rare as the immunocompromised population is only a very small percentage of the total population.”

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan’s exclusive take on the day’s news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.