The Australian Government has accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) that all adults who have not had a COVID-19 booster or a confirmed case in the past six months can now get another booster to give them additional protection against severe illness from COVID.
The ATAGI experts have particularly recommended that everyone at risk of severe illness - that is, everyone aged 65 years and over as well as younger adults who have medical comorbidities, disability or complex health needs - have a 2023 booster dose.
ATAGI have advised that otherwise healthy children and teenagers do not need a booster at this time, given the low incidence of severe illness and high level of hybrid immunity amongst this cohort.
In keeping with ATAGI advice, an additional booster will not be provided for under 18's, except where children aged 5 to 17 have health conditions that would put them at risk of severe illness.
In all instances the recommendation for a booster is for people whose most recent COVID-19 vaccine or infection was six months or more ago, irrespective of how many prior doses that person has received.
The vaccine booster advice from ATAGI is specific to the current Australian context in early 2023. ATAGI has said that ongoing surveillance of COVID-19 infection rates, new variants and vaccine effectiveness will determine any future recommendations it makes concerning additional booster doses.
For this booster dose, all available COVID-19 vaccines are anticipated to provide a benefit. However, Omicron-specific mRNA booster vaccines are preferred over other vaccines.
The Government has 4 million Omicron-specific booster doses available right now and another 10 million arriving in February.
The recommendation for additional boosters comes into effect on February 20.
February will see the largest supply of new vaccines into the Australian COVID vaccine program, since late 2021.
The Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler and Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells will be writing to aged care providers to advise them of the new requirements for additional booster doses.
Providers will be encouraged to regularly bring local general practitioners and pharmacists into their facilities to administer the booster doses, as required by the vaccination and infection history of individual residents.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"From February 20, all adults who haven't had a booster or an infection in the past six months can go out and get a booster shot, to give them additional protection against severe illness from COVID."
"If you're 65 or over, or you're an adult at risk of severe COVID illness, and it's been six months since your last booster or infection, it's now time for a booster."
"The Government has secured millions of doses of Omicron-specific boosters, with millions more arriving this month, in the largest one-month arrival since late 2021."
"Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells and I will be writing to aged care providers to encourage them to bring local pharmacists and GPs into their facilities to administer the additional booster doses."
