Booster jab: PM’s urgent jab warning to every Aussie as Europe braces for Covid winter wave
Scott Morrison is urging Australians to get the booster jab in a letter to every home as Covid wreaks havoc across Europe. SEE THE LETTER
National
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Australia will kick start a coronavirus booster shot campaign on Friday in a bid to prevent lockdowns and avoid crippling the nation’s hospitals next winter.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sending a letter to every Australian home pleading with people to book their third jab.
More than 151 million extra Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots have been ordered.
Health authorities are desperately trying to avoid Australia being devastated with a new wave of Covid-19, such as the one that is currently causing national lockdowns in Europe as it heads into the northern hemisphere winter.
Mr Morrison said vaccine boosters, which are recommended to be administered six months after second doses, were the key to keeping Australia open.
“Thanks to the high vaccination rates, we are now reopening, our economy is strongly re-emerging, and people can get back to seeing family, travelling and living a more normal life,” Mr Morrison writes in the letter.
“An important part of this process is ensuring that every person in Australia has access to
vaccine boosters to help maintain the best possible defence against serious illness or death.
“Everyone in Australia is encouraged to take up the vaccine boosters to make sure we
can keep each and every one of us safe.”
More than 1.5 million people are due for booster shots by Christmas Day, mainly frontline workers and high risk groups, including those with a disability.
In January 2.5 million people will need to book their booster, before it climbs to 3.25 million in February and 4 million a month in March and April to prevent a new coronavirus wave.
The letter, which was being sent out this week, was also signed by Health Minister Greg Hunt and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly.
Every household will also be sent an information sheet that can be stuck on the fridge to allow families to list the date of each members’ scheduled free booster shot.
The campaign will be crucial because the end of state and citywide lockdowns could lead to complacency about vaccination boosters.
And with a Federal Election likely to be called between March and May next year, a coronavirus outbreak or lockdown would be a political headache for the Federal Government.
More than 86 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully vaccinated, while the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has been considering Pfizer data about potentially approving Covid-19 jabs for five to 11 year olds.
A decision was expected within weeks, with those jabs likely to roll out in January if it gets the final sign off.
University of Melbourne Professor Tony Blakely told News Corp earlier this week that a rollout of jabs in primary school students and booster shots would be critical in keeping the virus under control ahead of next winter.
He warned that without a booster shot program, the nation’s hospitals would be under pressure.
Mr Hunt said Australians had done an outstanding job in getting vaccinated.
“And we expect that they will take up the booster in the same way because they know this will give them extra protection against the serious health risks of Covid-19,” he said.
Prof Kelly said Australia’s vaccination rates were “higher than I ever imagined” and he urged people to “keep this momentum going”.
“A booster dose will make sure the protection provided by the first doses is even stronger and lasts longer – and should help prevent COVID-19 from spreading,” he said.
The booster shots will be available through GPs, pharmacies and Commonwealth run vaccination hubs across the nation.
A groundbreaking Oxford Vaccine Group study led by Professor Matthew Snape, an Australian researcher, found that mixing Pfizer and AstraZeneca increased immunity.
The Federal Government confirmed that Australians may get a different booster to the vaccine they originally received.
It comes as Europe is facing a bleak northern hemisphere winter, with Austria plunged into lockdown this week, while Germany weighs up whether to follow suit.
British hospitals are battling with increasing pressure as they come into winter, with more than 42,000 cases a day stretching the system.
The campaign will be crucial to maintain immunity levels, with cases falling in Sydney and Melbourne following the lifting of lockdown restrictions because of Australia’s 91.9 per cent first dose vaccination rate.
stephen.drill@news.com.au
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