Australia may encourage 5th Covid shot as winter approaches

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• By Avi Yemini

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Australians may be encouraged to get a fifth Covid shot as winter approaches, federal Health Minister Mark Butler said this week.

Butler told the ABC’s 7.30 program that the government was waiting on health advice regarding the additional booster shots for the general population.

He said the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation was due to provide a recommendation soon.

ATAGI recommended in November against people getting a fifth Covid vaccine because evidence from Singapore showed a fifth shot had only a “trivial” effect on case numbers.

Currently only adults with a severely compromised immune system are eligible for the shot.

Butler said although Covid case numbers had fallen to around 6500 per day this month, compared to 15,000 per day in December, it was important Australians started to prepare now for winter.

“We need to think about additional communications campaigns to the community about the need for them to consider very seriously getting those additional boosters, and that work is underway in government right now as well,” he said.