The news was confirmed today.

Ireland's Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced that booster shots will become available to everyone over the age of 16. Previously, the Covid-19 vaccine booster was recommended for people over 50, those with lowered immune systems and those with underlying conditions over the age of 12. The Irish Independent reports that, going forward, pregnant women aged 16 and over, those between 40 and 49 and those between 16 and 39 will be able to avail of the shot. The booster shots will be rolled out by age cohorts in descending order. If you are between the ages of 16 and 39 and you received the Janssen vaccine, you will be able to avail of the booster shot regardless of your age cohort, provided that it's been at least three months since you received the vaccine. For those who received the other vaccines, the booster shot is available at least five months after the initial jab. If you tested positive for Covid-19 after vaccination, you should wait at least six months after infection before getting the booster vaccine. On RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the HSE's CEO Paul Reid told listeners that from next week, those who are medically vulnerable will be able to avail of the booster vaccine. Mr Reid said that there are about 470,000 people in this category. News of booster vaccines comes as Ireland continues to experience high infection rates. This morning it was reported that there are 556 people with Covid-19 in hospital with 126 Covid patients in the ICU. Over the past week, more than 200,000 PCR tests were completed in labs, with Mr Reid stating that the positivity rates have been between 15 and 19%. Yesterday, An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that while he hopes to avoid any sort of lockdown, more restrictions may need to be introduced over the next few weeks. Facebook image: Leah Farrell ©RollingNews.ie