The nation’s expert vaccination panel was on Wednesday in the process of finalising its advice to shake up the vaccine rollout ahead of a predicted winter spike in Covid cases. The fourth dose is currently recommended only for those over 65 or with underlying health conditions.The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has been under mounting pressure from state and federal governments to expand access to the extra shot. The shift will be complicated by the fact that variant-specific boosters from Moderna and Pfizer are yet to be made available. Authorities have been grappling over whether to broaden access to an extra dose now or wait until a more effective jab was available. It is understood ATAGI decided to lower its age recommendation to 50, with the extra shot to be optional for those over 30.Health Minister Mark Butler is set to receive the advice on Thursday or Friday, and said the federal government would act on it “as a matter of urgency”. Covid boosterSpeaking prior to ATAGI’s decision being confirmed, he said he would be “very surprised” if the age range for the fourth jab was not lowered. “There’s a strong case for expanding eligibility for a fourth dose,” Mr Butler said.“Broadly, that 65 year cut-off is seen as pretty high if you look at the rest of the world.”Earlier on Wednesday, Anthony Albanese also said Australia would “inevitably follow what has occurred in other parts of the world”. “ATAGI no doubt will look at the evidence which is there … I encouraged them to do things as quickly as possible,” the Prime Minister said. NED-6507-Covid-Booster-GuideEminent vaccine researcher Tony Cunningham said it was “really time for that decision to be made on the fourth dose” but added that authorities also needed to amplify the importance of a third jab. “We need to amplify the education message being put out by responsible authorities to make the third dose to be really taken on board,” he said. “The new strains are more immune-evasive.” Infectious diseases physician Paul Griffin welcomed the decision but hoped the expansion was “liberal” so as many Australians were eligible as supply allowed. “People at high risk of acquisition, critical essential workers, are the people it should be expanded to at a minimum,” he said. “There are a number of key groups that have been left behind that it would be great to see expanded, too.“My view would be to expand it to basically anybody that wants to get it … (and) the only reason to not expand it more broadly would be if we didn’t have the supply.”
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