Key Points:
- All adults will soon be eligible for an additional COVID-19 booster.
- Fourth doses were previously not recommended for those aged under 30.
- Health Minister Mark Butler has urged Australians to come forward.
All Australian adults will soon be able to receive another COVID-19 vaccine dose, provided they have not been infected or had a booster in the previous six months.
The federal government has accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), with the recommendation taking effect from 20 February.
And the nation's top doctor says fewer hospitalisations during the latest Omicron wave, shows vaccination and widespread infections are helping Australia "flatten the curve".
Health Minister Mark Butler said on Wednesday that an influx of vaccines, including the imminent arrival of 10 million Omicron-specific doses, meant Australia was prepared to expand its vaccine rollout.
Mr Butler particularly urged those at high-risk - the elderly, and the immunocompromised - to come forward for another jab, which he said would add another layer of protection against the virus.
"For those Australians, the very strong recommendation from ATAGI is it is now time for your next dose of COVID vaccine, provided you have not had a dose in the past six months or been infected with COVID in the past six months," he said.
Mark Butler says extended booster eligibility will add greater protection from the virus. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
The recommendation for a booster is for people whose most recent COVID-19 vaccine or infection was six months ago or more, irrespective of how many prior doses that person has received.
People over 30 now eligible for fifth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Those aged between 18 and 30 will now be able to come forward for a fourth dose, while those aged over 30 will be eligible for a fifth.
Mr Butler said booster uptake was more than 70 per cent among people aged between 65 and 80, but conceded uptake in the 50 to 64 cohort was "substantially lower".
An additional booster will not be provided for under-18s, except where children aged five and older have health conditions that would put them at risk of severe illness.
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said, while fewer Australians were being tested for COVID-19, the latest Omicron wave resulted in fewer hospitalisations and admissions to ICU.
"The flattened curve that we had in this wave demonstrates to me that there is a large amount of protection right now in the community in terms of hybrid immunity," he said.
ATAGI experts have recommended that everyone at risk of severe illness – those aged 65 years and over as well as younger adults who have medical comorbidities, disability or complex health needs – have a booster dose this year.
Health minister to write to aged care homes
Mr Butler said he would write to Australia's aged care homes, where the vast majority of residents will be receiving their fifth dose, about the new arrangements.
The Health Minister announced a new incentive payment for GPs and pharmacists, to encourage them to administer vaccine doses in aged care homes. During previous vaccine surges, GPs would receive around $1000 after vaccinating 50 aged care and disability workers, and $20 per patient after that.
"This new incentive payment will be much simpler, and it will be about double the amount of the payment that has previously been available to those providers," Mr Butler said.
Omicron-specific mRNA booster vaccines are preferred over other vaccines, with four million doses available now and another 10 million arriving later this month.
Aged-care providers will be encouraged to bring local GPs and pharmacists into their facilities to deliver the booster doses.
"I want to assure Australians and the hard-working vaccine providers, general practices, community pharmacies, community health centres, that Australia has more than enough vaccine doses, Omicron-specific vaccine doses, to supply this latest round of vaccines in the Australian COVID vaccine program," Mr Butler said.
