Over 200,000 people have not turned up to get their booster vaccine over the past two weeks

According to Taoiseach Micheal Martin, more than 215,000 appointments for Covid-19 booster injections have been missed in the past two weeks.

Speaking to Dáil, Martin said that there was not the same urgency in public to get the third dose like there was to get the first and second vaccinations.

The Taoiseach said 208,000 appointments had been made for the week of November 22nd, but about 80,000 people showed up for booster injections.

In the past week, 180,000 appointments were made, but 93,000 people came.

“The most important collective message we as a House can give to people today is to take your booster vaccine when you’re offered it,” Martin said.

“Vaccination is protecting people more than anything else, against severe illness, against hospitalisation and against admission to ICUs.

“The booster vaccination has been shown to produce very, very strong antibody responses and are likely to provide protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death from most variants, including Delta and Omicron.

“So the same urgency doesn’t seem to be there in terms of availing of the option to take the booster as was there when we offered the first dose and the second dose.

“If you look at the over-75 group, people have taken up the offer. In that group, where people have taken up the offer of a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine in high numbers, we are seeing significant reduction in the incidence of disease.

“So it does work, the booster will have a really significant impact on Delta, I can’t stress that enough.”

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