The primary goal of the Australian COVID-19 vaccine program is to minimise the risk of severe disease, including hospitalisation and death, from COVID-19.
Currently, the COVID-19 vaccination program is targeted at preventing severe disease, by providing additional protection to those with risk factors for severe disease. On 25 March 2022, ATAGI recommended an additional winter booster dose (4th dose for most people) for the highest risk groups: people aged 65 years and above, residents of aged care or disability care facilities, people with severe immunocompromise and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years or above.
In this updated advice, an additional winter booster is now also recommended for other people at increased risk, to be given 4 months after their first booster dose. This applies to people aged 16-64 who have:
A medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness (see Table 1 for expanded groups).
People with disability with significant or complex health needs or multiple comorbidities which increase risk of poor outcome from COVID-19.
Healthy people aged 16 to 64 years, who do not have a risk factor for severe COVID-19, are not recommended to receive an additional winter booster dose at this time, as their risk of severe illness after their first booster dose is likely to remain very low. This includes healthy people from occupational groups such as healthcare workers. Pregnant women who do not have an additional risk factor for severe disease (such as in Table 1) and who have received three doses of COVID-19 vaccine are also not currently recommended for a winter booster dose at this time.
As per previous advice, if an individual has had a recent confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, they should delay their winter booster dose until 3 months after their infection.
Comirnaty (Pfizer, from age 16 years) or Spikevax (Moderna, from age 18 years) are the preferred vaccines for a COVID-19 booster dose. Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) can be used in people aged 18 or older when an mRNA vaccine is contraindicated, or where a person declines vaccination with an mRNA vaccine. Nuvaxovid (Novavax) can be used in people aged 18 or older if no other COVID-19 vaccine is considered suitable for that person.
ATAGI also encourages people to be vaccinated against Influenza. Influenza vaccine can be co-administered with the additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. However, if a person is not yet eligible for their additional booster dose, influenza vaccine could be given ahead of the additional booster dose.
- Recommendation
- Western Pacific
- Australia
- COVID-19
