One-third of people who received a Covid-19 booster dose last week were given the Moderna vaccine, as the Health Service Executive (HSE) seeks to use up supplies that are close to their expiry date.
Under a change of policy, most people being offered booster shots at mass vaccination centres are now being given Moderna rather than Pfizer.
Last week, Moderna accounted for 35 per cent of booster shots administered, while the rest were Pfizer, according to HSE figures. Up to then, the use of Moderna was negligible compared with Pfizer.
Hospital Report
The use of Moderna is confined to those aged 30 years and over; under-30s will be administered Pfizer.
As during the original vaccine rollout, people cannot choose which vaccine they receive.
The HSE said there were about two million doses of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines available in the country to meet the demands of the booster programme.
To maximise use of vaccines available, vaccination centres will primarily use the Moderna shot for boosters to people aged 30 and over in the coming weeks, a spokeswoman said.
It rejected reports that there were two million doses of Moderna vaccines expiring next month. The actual amount is said to be a small fraction of this.
It is understood there are about 500,000 due to expire in February, but they are expected to be used in the coming weeks as boosters are rolled out.
“Vaccine supply is no longer a constraint to the vaccination programme,” said a spokeswoman, noting the availability of two million doses.
“Outbound supply to vaccines administration sites is managed through a robust demand planning and distribution process with supply levels adequately meeting the needs of these vaccination sites.”
The HSE said wastage levels were monitored across vaccination channels regularly.
“No issues of concern have been raised regarding levels of wastage,” it said.
The HSE had been aiming to administer 240,000 booster doses last week, which would have been the highest figure so far in the booster rollout. However, Storm Barra forced the closure of some centres, so the number of doses administered was about 220,000.
About half of all boosters are now being administered in GP surgeries and pharmacies, with the rest given in mass vaccination centres.
Last week for example, 80,000 boosters were provided by GP practices and 30,000 by pharmacies, while 110,000 were administered at vaccination centres.
On Sunday, 20,000 people received their booster dose at a walk-in centre, up from 15,000 the previous Sunday.
It is planned to further increase the throughput in vaccination centres, from a maximum of 160,000 to 200,000 a week, while maintaining numbers passing through GP surgeries and pharmacies.
In contrast to the original vaccine rollout earlier in the year, supply is not a constraint with adequate stocks of mRNA vaccines available to meet demand.
Vaccination centres
This time around, however, the large centre that previously operated at the Aviva Stadium is not available as it is needed for sporting events.
At present, the biggest vaccination centres in the capital are Citywest and Swords, both of which have 50 booths.
The centre at UCD, which saw long queues at times last week, has only 10 booths, but this is being increased to 15. The Croke Park centre also has 10 booths, and a new centre at Richmond Barracks in Inchicore is due to open later this week.
Centres are offering boosters to people aged 60-69, 50-59, healthcare workers, and younger people in vulnerable groups.
So far, 157,000 people 80 years and over have received a booster, as have 285,000 people aged 70-79. More than 271,000 60-69-year-olds have had a third dose, along with 190,000 of those aged 50-59.
Not everyone in these age groups is eligible yet to receive a booster, as at least five months has to elapse since completion of their primary vaccine course, or three months if they got the Janssen vaccine.
The HSE is working on revised plans to speed up the booster programme for adults and teenagers, and to begin administering vaccines to children aged five to 11 years.
It aims to have 1.5 million booster doses administered by Christmas.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) meets again on Thursday to consider what fresh advice to issue to Government.
