People aged 60 and over are now eligible to receive their next Covid-19 booster vaccine.
Those in the age group, along with pregnant women, will be able to make an appointment through the Health Service Executive from Monday.
HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has urged people to take up the offer, saying it would provide "ongoing protection from serious illness, and increase your immunity against infection from Covid-19, which we know tends to reduce after a period of months following your last vaccine".
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Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Henry also said a new vaccine is being developed.
He said: "They're being assessed by the European Medicines Agency, who will assess all available evidence before informing us and other member states whether or not they are safe and effective to be rolled out.
"But for the time being, we're using the existing vaccine stock, which we know to have efficacy against even the most recent variant."
Dr Henry added that the uptake in booster vaccines during the most recent campaign for the second booster is "a bit more disappointing, approaching 60% for those aged 65 and above".
He said this might be because people are less afraid of the virus than before. But he warned that the pandemic is not over, and people should get the booster ahead of the winter.
He said: "It's about the autumn and winter and getting protection against infection in the coming months, particularly when we may see seasonal influenza and we're seeing respiratory viruses cocirculate with Covid-19."
People aged 50-64, and people with long-term health conditions, will also be offered booster vaccines in the coming weeks.
HSE National Lead for the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme Eileen Whelan said: "Over the next few weeks, boosters will be offered to people aged 50-64 and people with long-term health conditions.
"We are inviting people initially in blocks of five years, starting with people aged 60-64, to ensure people have a smooth experience booking appointments online and getting their vaccine."
People over 16 weeks pregnant will also be invited to book their next booster at a HSE vaccination centre or from participating GPs.
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