Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) is urging people to come forward and receive their fourth Covid-19 jab before the more transmissible “Kraken” Covid variant reaches the country.
According to RTÉ:
Low levels of uptake for the second Covid-19 booster means the national vaccination programme is running far behind the level it should be at to stave off the spread of the virus.
31% of people across all age groups have received their second booster but health authorities say 75% of vaccine coverage is needed to give wider public health protection. Among healthcare workers, the uptake is just 25%.
These statistics have prompted the HSE to urge more people to get their second booster because of growing concern over the potential impact of newer strains of Covid-19.
The HSE’s National Lead for the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme Eileen Whelan urged people to get their second booster vaccine before the more transmissible “Kraken” Covid variant hits Ireland.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Whelan said the roll out of the second booster vaccine is running far behind the level it should be at.
She added the levels of the second booster uptake raises concerns about the potential impact of the Kraken variant XBB.1.5.
Kraken, a more transmissible derivative of the omicron strain, has taken hold in the United States and is expected to become the dominant variant in Ireland in the coming weeks.
New HSE figures show 31% of people have received their second booster.
By age, 6% of 18 to 49-year-olds have had their second booster, 42% of the 50 to 64-year-olds and 78% of people aged over 65 have had theirs.
In real terms that means that with 4.96 million people eligible for vaccines in Ireland, approximately 1.54 million have got the second booster but the number needed to have wider public health protection is 3.72 million.
Ireland is a basket case. That’s all I have.
Kraken variant?
Vaudeville.
