The Health Service Executive (HSE) has expressed concern over an anticipated increase in winter viruses and is urging the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the flu, reports Breaking News.
The HSE recommends that people with long-term health conditions and healthcare workers should receive both vaccines.
Additionally, anyone aged 50 and over, as well as individuals over five years old with a long-term health condition, should receive the Covid-19 vaccine, reports Breaking News.
For those eligible to receive the vaccine, it is recommended that at least three months have passed since their last Covid-19 infection or vaccination before getting their autumn/winter Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Éamonn O’Moore, Director of National Health Protection at the HSE, said: “We are concerned that the uptake of the vaccines so far remains low, and that this may have a serious impact on public health in the coming weeks and months. There is no room for complacency at this point. Our hospitals are already feeling pressure from a significant level of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), particularly our paediatric services,” reports RTE.
“The winter in the southern hemisphere saw very high levels of flu, and this adds to the concern about our own winter. We are already seeing early signs that flu levels are rising and we expect it to be reaching its peak from mid-December and into January. Covid-19 levels are currently stable but we are seeing people seriously ill with Covid-19, including in our ICUs (intensive care units) now, and around half of those have not received boosters in the last six months. There is still time for people to get their vaccines, it takes around two weeks for the vaccines to take effect so now is the time to act,” the Doctor added, reports RTE.
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