Australia’s Coronavirus vaccine booster programme will start for the adult population on Nov. 8, as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) on Thursday approved Pfizer booster shots for Australians aged 18 and over six months after their second dose.
“Those booster programmes will obviously have a focus, especially on aged care and health workers, but it is an all of, whole of population booster programme.
“The booster programme will roll out directly to people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities and people with a disability through an in-reach programme.
“And frontline workers `are strongly encouraged’ to book in to get a booster dose, if six months has passed since their second dose,’’ Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
As at Wednesday, 87.6 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over had received one vaccine dose and 75.5 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.
On Thursday, Australia reported more than 2,200 new locally-acquired COVID-19 infections and 27 deaths.
The majority of new cases were in Victoria, the country’s second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, where 1,923 cases and 25 deaths were reported.
Morrison on Wednesday committed to sharing an additional 10 million vaccine doses with Southeast Asian countries.
“I am also pleased to advise that we will share at least an additional 10 million doses from our domestic supply with ASEAN countries by mid-next year,’’ he told the ASEAN-Australia Virtual Summit.
