Green light for fifth booster

The federal government has urged everyone over 65 to get a booster shot after data revealed 4 million Australians had been struck down by Covid-19 during the last wave.

More than 2,600 Australians have died from the virus since October and around 800 of those deaths were aged care residents.

On Wednesday, the government announced it had accepted advice from the nation’s vaccine advisory to expand eligibility for a Covid booster to all Australian adults from February 20.

Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said those at risk of severe illness, including everyone aged 65 and over, should get the 2023 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,” said Health Minister Mark Butler.

“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.

“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 four million Omicron-specific booster doses available right now and another 10 million arriving later in February.

All available Covid vaccines are anticipated to provide a benefit for this booster dose, but Omicron-specific mRNA booster vaccines are preferred over other vaccines, according to ATAGI.

Butler is optimistic the end of the Omicron wave is on the horizon but concedes it has lingered longer than expected.

“There’s no doubt that this wave has endured for longer than was expected … longer than the advice that was received by governments,” he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

“It was not short or sharp. It lingered for longer and had a very significant impact on the community, our health care system and many individuals, tragically resulting in the loss of many lives.”

Since the wave began in October, more than one million people have registered as contracting the virus.

But the minister said the true number of Australians infected was estimated to be between three to four million.

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said that while those numbers were still high, they were less than previous Omicron waves.

“The flattered curve that we had at this wave demonstrates to me that there is a large amount of retention right now in the community in terms of hybrid immunity,” he said.

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