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Background Notes

Around 38% of adults who had a COVID-19 vaccine had their most recent dose in the last 12 months

CSO statistical publication, , 11am
A CSO Frontier Series Output

This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Outputs. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example new administrative data sources. 

Overview

This publication is based on vaccinations administered up to 30 April 2023. It is a further publication by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) providing insights into Ireland's COVID-19 vaccination programme (COVID-19 Vaccination Statistics). This report is produced in collaboration with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and Department of Health under the Statistics Act, 1993. The vaccination dataset used is provided to the CSO by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Data Sources

For vaccination rates, the CSO uses data provided by COVAX (the HSE national immunisation registry for COVID-19 vaccination). Data were extracted from COVAX on 19/05/2023 and were correct at the time.

The CSO has used Revenue PMOD data to provide insight on employment status of records of vaccinated people from the HSE Vaccine Information System. Using pseudonymised identifiers more than 2.8 million employees (90%) aged over 18 on 01 January 2023 who had a record of employment in the PMOD system in 2022 were linked to a record of vaccination. These records, from the HSE Vaccination Information System, covered primary course completed, Booster 1, Booster 2 or Booster 3. Additional demographic information was derived by linking to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) Central Records System (CRS).

Please see Vaccination Data FAQ for further information.

Local Electoral Areas (LEA) Assignment

LEAs are assigned through geocoding of addresses undertaken within the CSO (including using Eircodes provided in the COVAX dataset).

Vaccination Rates

Primary course completed populations were defined as those individuals who had a single valid dosage date record for a single-dose vaccine or two valid dosage dates for double-dose vaccines recorded on Covax, or have had an additional third dose administered on a three-dose primary schedule due to immunocompromising condition or treatment.

Booster vaccinations were defined as those individuals who had valid booster date entries for any of the boosters.

The vaccination rates should be interpreted as estimates. For example, the number of persons who have received a vaccine only includes those who have been vaccinated in the State and would not include those who may have been vaccinated outside of the State. Further, the denominators used for LEA rates are based on population estimates and for employee rates the denominator used is all those that have a record of employment in the State in 2023 and may include those living abroad and paid by an Irish enterprise or those who are no longer resident in the State. As rates are estimates, this may lead to an underrepresentation of the vaccination rates for a given grouping or LEA.

Data included in the corresponding PxStat tables to this bulletin (CDC46 and CDC47) is rounded in line with Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) procedures.

In this bulletin, the following definitions apply:

  • Primary Course Completed:  Individuals who have completed a vaccination schedule based on vaccine brand (two doses of a two-dose schedule or one dose of a one-dose schedule) or have had an additional third dose administered on a three-dose primary schedule due to immunocompromising condition or treatment.
  • Booster 1: Individuals who have completed a primary course and have received their first booster.
  • Booster 2: Individuals who have completed a primary course and have received their first and second booster.
  • Booster 3: Individuals who have completed a primary course and have received their first, second, and third booster.

NACE Rev. 2 Classification

The economic sector classification (NACE) is based on the ‘Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community, Rev. 2 (2008)' NACE Rev.2.

NACE codes were allocated accordingly as provided in PMOD.

EU Labelling

Nationality breakdown is consistent with EU labelling used in CSO Population and Migration Estimates updated in light of the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union with effect from 01 February 2020.

EU13: countries before enlargement on 01 May 2004, (i.e. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Portugal) (Ireland and UK Excluded).

EU15 to 27: defined as 10 countries that joined the EU on 01 May 2004 (i.e. Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia), along with Bulgaria and Romania who joined on 01 January 2007 and Croatia who joined on the 01 July 2013.