COVID vaccine

Here's what we know about the state of affairs with booster shots in Australia right now. Who can get a booster shot? Booster doses are available and ...

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has said that both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are considered equally acceptable as booster vaccines. Eligible people must wait at least 3 months since their last booster to get the winter jab. They, along with pregnant people, are also recommended to receive a booster dose according to the same rules as the general population, which is currently after 3 months. From July 11, anyone in these categories is eligible for a winter booster: However, a surge in case shifted this recommendation to at least 3 months. It’s been over a year since COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out in Australia and many of us have now had two, if not three, jabs.

Millions more Australians will soon be eligible for a fourth vaccine dose, but the Health Minister insists the...

He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: Mask wearing was part of that picture." Advertisement Several states were also reportedly considering reintroducing mask mandates in certain settings, as Australia recorded over 40,000 new COVID-19 infections. Advertisement Advertisement

Winter booster doses are now recommended for those 50 and over, and are available for those 30 and over, three months after their last booster dose.

- Adults aged 30 to 49 years can receive a winter booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. - people aged 16 years or older witha medical conditionthat increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness - Adults aged 50 to 64 years are recommended to receive a winter booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Whether you call it a winter dose, fourth dose or a second booster here's the run-down on the...

Hannah started as a journalist with The Southern Highland News and The Goulburn Post before moving to the ACT. Twitter: @neale_hannah Hannah started as a journalist with The Southern Highland News and The Goulburn Post before moving to the ACT. Twitter: @neale_hannah Advertisement "They've wanted to hold fire until they're facing a new variant of risk. Advertisement Advertisement If you need help making a COVID-19 vaccine booking, SMS 'Hey EVA' to 0481 611 382. Dr Moy said it was an "unusual decision" requiring people to make up their own mind. Advertisement So that's the more important shot." It will also take pressure off the hospital system. Advertisement

Missteps in connecting with Indigenous communities factored into the nation's low vaccination rate.

“And if it works in one, it will work in the rest. The health ministry points out that there are currently 1,188 vaccination “posts” around the country, including fixed sites, vaccination brigades and house-to-house sweeps. “The health ministry only comes to impose itself and never listens,” says Petzey Quiejú, who has been studying vaccine hesitancy. The PAHO report found that when vaccination sites ran out of doses and turned people away, word spread quickly, deterring others from trying to visit. “It’s the choice between getting vaccinated or buying a kilo of corn,” Petzey Quiejú says. And they carry even deeper mistrust of the military because of the human-rights violations committed by soldiers during a decades-long civil war that ended in 1996; during the early 1980s alone, the government-backed military killed an estimated 200,000 Indigenous people and displaced another 1.5 million. In a report not yet published, but seen by Nature, about 54% of the households polled worried about harmful vaccine side effects, says Berger González, who is a co-author. Where the Guatemalan government was slow to inform rural communities about vaccines, disinformation was quick to fill the vacuum, Berger González and others found. In October 2021, residents of Alta Verapaz — a remote central region, with the country’s lowest vaccination rate — were angry when a mobile unit of nurses arrived with COVID-19 vaccines. Guatemala has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Latin America: only about 35% of people have been fully vaccinated (see ‘Vaccine progress’). The health ministry has recorded more than 900,000 SARS-CoV-2 infections and 18,500 deaths since the pandemic began. Although the phenomenon is not unique to Guatemala — many people worldwide have rejected COVID-19 vaccines despite data showing they are safe and effective — researchers hope the country’s failures could offer lessons beyond its borders, in preparation for future public-health emergencies. The reasons for Guatemala’s hesitancy are complicated, public-health and social-sciences researchers are finding.

Most people will have the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine for their fourth dose. But the Doherty Institute's head of vaccine and immunisation research says ...

"It depends on what happens in the [next] six to 12 months," Dr Frawley said. Both Dr Frawley and Professor Nolan pointed out that, because the virus mutates so quickly, it's impossible for research to keep up the pace. A winter dose (the second booster dose) is anticipated to boost this immune response. Professor Nolan says it's important to remember that a fourth dose will probably have a "minimal" impact on whether or not you contract the disease. A first booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to increase the immune response to these new subvariants, but wanes over several weeks. "There's a difference between Novovax and the mRNA vaccines – but in the way they're made, not in effectiveness." While rates of hospitalisation, severe disease, and death from COVID-19 are low in this age group, other factors such as time off work and the risk of long COVID may influence an individual’s personal decision to have a winter booster dose. However, Professor Nolan also points out that people in this age group are already at a lower risk of having severe illness from the infection than people who are immunocompromised or in older age groups. "The vast majority of people aren't wearing masks and are only relying on vaccines for protection." The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for booster shots for people aged 18 and older. "I think the bottom line is that there isn't a difference between the two," he said. "There's no point and no argument to mix and match," Professor Nolan said.