Spring covid-19 booster to be offered to high-risk groups

A spring Covid-19 booster to be offered to the elderly and higher risk groups in Northern Ireland.

Those aged 75 and over, residents in care homes as well as anyone over the age of five who is immunosuppressed are among the cohort who will be offered a further booster.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Michael McBride said: "Roll-out of the latest booster campaign is due to commence in mid-April and run until the end of June and cover a population of almost 190,000 individuals.

"Those who turn 75 years old by June 30 2023 will be eligible for a vaccination at any point during the spring campaign. Those who are admitted to an older adult care home or become immunosuppressed by June 30 2023 will be considered eligible as well."

All care homes will be paired with a community pharmacy who will attend the home and offer vaccination to all residents, similar to the earlier stages of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Trusts will play a much reduced role in the spring programme, mainly vaccinating eligible housebound patients from lists supplied by GPs.

Trusts will also vaccinate those immunocompromised individuals aged five to under 18 years of age, identified by their GP.

Since the vaccination programme was first rolled out in Northern Ireland in December 2020 close to 4.5 million vaccines have been administered.