Fifth COVID-19 booster available

The Australian Government has accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) that adults who have not had a COVID-19 booster or have not had the virus in the past six months can now get another booster.  

The latest dose will be available from Monday 20 February.  

However, not everyone can get a fifth shot straight away.  

All people aged 18 and over, who have not had either a COVID-19 vaccine or confirmed coronavirus case in the past six months.  

Previously, a fifth dose was only available to adults who were severely immunocompromised.  

Importantly, ATAGI recommended that anyone at risk of severe illness, that is, everyone aged 65 years and over and younger adults who have medical comorbidities, disability, or complex health needs, have a 2023 booster dose.  

Meanwhile, the announcement has also opened fourth doses to Australians aged 18-29.  

Previously, only those considered most at risk of severe illness or aged 30 and over were eligible for a fourth dose.  

The Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, will contact aged care providers to encourage them to bring local pharmacists and GPs into their facilities to administer the additional booster doses.  

An additional booster will not be provided to under 18-year-olds at this stage, except where children aged five to 17 have health conditions that would put them at risk of severe illness.

Reported cases have continued to fall from a peak of 16,000 a week in December, the highest rate recorded since August, to a rolling seven-day average of 2,600 cases.  

There was an increase in deaths recorded in aged care centres in January caused by the leap in cases earlier in the summer.  

Demand for boosters has dwindled, with Australia discarding almost 20 per cent of its national COVID-19 vaccine supply in September.

While the original vaccines offer good protection, newer formulas designed to target the Omicron variant offer more protection.  

ATAGI has said while all COVID-19 booster shots are beneficial, Omicron-specific mRNA vaccines are preferred.  

Vaccines do not eliminate your risk of getting COVID-19, but they dramatically reduce the risk of severe disease and death.  

The government says it currently has 4 million Omicron-specific booster doses available, with another 10 million expected to arrive this month.  

ATAGI has said, "ongoing surveillance of COVID-19 infection rates, new variants and vaccine effectiveness will determine any future recommendations it makes concerning additional booster doses".