Government Ministers hope an accelerated roll-out of the booster programme will offset more Covid-19 restrictions being reintroduced if hospitalisation numbers remain stable.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan and NPHET members will meet again on Thursday.
Concerns over the Omicron variant have intensified after Britain increased restrictions as they are expecting a “tidal wave” of Omicron.
Coalition leader and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said “we still need everyone to get that booster done” as he said no further restrictions could be ruled out.
But Government chief whip and Sports Minister Jack Chambers said he does not foresee any additional Covid restrictions between now and Christmas.
However, a senior source said they “would expect more minor measures will come from NPHET due to uncertainty around the Omicron variant.”
The source said given legislation for mandatory hotel quarantine has been passed, then “perhaps” this is one measure that Dr Holohan may advise on.
Minister Ryan said: “ We will continue to watch what the health authorities from Europe are saying and listen to our own health authorities.
“My sense is still the same basic message, we still need everyone to get that booster done.
“They [scientists] won’t have the full scientific analysis of Omicron in terms of its impact on vaccines or severity of disease on transmissibility still for another week or two but there is real concern and valid concerns.”
When asked if the pre-arrival Covid testing is an adequate response to reducing the spread of Omicron, Minister Ryan said the Government will continue to review it.
He told RTÉ: “There isn’t a way you can completely seal off the risk.”
He said he does not expect people cancelling flights who are planning to fly home for Christmas.
He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) haven’t “advocated that approach.”
The HSE and the Government are expected to publish a fresh Covid-19 booster programme this week in a bid to get 1.5 million people boosted with a third dose before Christmas.
The plan will outline when and how children aged between 5 and 11 years will get their jabs.
And the HSE will also include the timeline for when people in their 40s will get their third dose.
The booster campaign has to date been extended to all people aged over 50.
Minister Ryan said: “Government will be looking at a plan this week to step up our booster campaign.
“I think that’s the first best, most important reaction and response and we need to do that in response to the Delta wave which is here anyway.
“We still have 4,000 plus cases a day so that use of the booster vaccine to protect against that is needed in any case regardless of Omicron.
“Any further measures, we’ll continue to look at that with our health authorities..
“I don’t think we can rule anything out but at the same time, what we have seen that will give some hope is the numbers in our hospitals have stabilised in the last number of weeks.
“We want to keep that going and that’s one of the metrics we’ll have to use - watch to see what’s happening to our health system.”
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