Covid Qld: More boosters to be required before end of year

As a fourth Covid-19 booster shot becomes available to over seven million Australians, Queenslanders have been warned there will be more to come.

Queenslanders have been warned they may need further Covid-19 booster shots by the end of the year, with some hospitals suspending services as the latest wave decimates the state’s health workforce.

From Monday, 7.4 million Australians will be eligible to receive a fourth vaccine dose, with the nation’s expert immunisation panel recommending the extra booster for everyone over 50.

It will be optional for those aged 30 to 49, as the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said the benefit for people in that age group was less certain.

While he welcomed the ATAGI making the fourth dose more readily available, Mater Health Services director of infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin said Queenslanders needed to be aware it was unlikely to be the last dose required and might not even be the last dose ­recommended this year.

“The expanded eligibility for the fourth dose is welcome news, as even a modest amount of additional protection is going to be of benefit as we experience a significant wave of transmission of the more infectious sub-variants of BA.4 and BA.5,” he said.

“This is not, however, a complete solution in itself.

“We need to focus primarily on getting those people ­already eligible for additional doses up to date with their vaccinations.

“We also need to do more to ensure people who are eligible for therapies get access to them in a timely manner.”

ATAGI’s decision comes as some under-pressure Queensland hospitals were forced to start cutting services.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said on Thursday there were 697 people being treated for Covid-19 in public and private hospitals, while an incredible 7.6 per cent of Queensland Health staff were currently off work ­because they were unwell.

Ms D’Ath said Gold Coast University Hospital overnight Wednesday had moved to tier 3, which would see the suspension of lower-category planned care.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“It’s at this stage being dealt with at a local level by hospital and health services and individual hospitals,” Ms D’Ath said.

“That would be based on the number of staff they have unavailable and the number of patients they have.”

Ms D’Ath said across the Metro North Hospital and Health Service there were 151 Covid-19 patients and another 22 patients with influenza.

“Obviously, that’s going to put pressure on that hospital system,” she said.

Ms D’Ath pleaded with people to get their vaccinations – particularly those aged over 65.

She said new data showed people aged over 65 who had not received their fourth booster were four times more likely to get the new BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants.

“That’s a pretty good incentive to go out and get your fourth booster,” she said.

Ms D’Ath said two jabs were not enough when it came to the Omicron and its sub-variants. “There’s no reason why our third dose and our fourth dose should not be at those same levels of over 94 per cent,” she said.

“Please come out and get your vaccination now.”

ATAGI also cut the gap between doses – as well as between infection and immunisation – from four months to three months.

The extra booster would be available nationwide from pharmacies and GP clinics.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners vice-president Bruce Willett urged people to be “patient and respectful” in the race for an appointment.

He said greater government support was needed for “exhausted” clinics.

“We will get these jabs in arms as soon as we can, but GPs and general practice teams are only human and can’t perform miracles,” Dr Willett said.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler urged everyone over 50 to receive the fourth dose “as soon as possible”, and said people who believed they couldn’t catch the virus twice should think again.

“Just because you had Covid earlier in the year doesn’t mean you’re not at risk of getting it again with this third wave,’’ he said.

“There’s now 4000 hos­pital beds across the country filled by patients with Covid.

“That’s an increase of almost 1000 in just the last few weeks.

“And the number of people in intensive care units or ICUs is up 40 per cent in the past week or 10 days alone.

“We’re only just at the early stages.”

Mr Butler also reiterated ATAGI’s concerns about the fact that three out of 10 eligible adults had still not received their first booster.