Covid-19 Qld: State at mercy of eighth wave as booster runs late
A new and improved Covid-19 vaccine that is a better fit for the current strain will not arrive in Queensland before the eighth wave peaks.
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The new and improved monovalent Covid-19 vaccine, which is a better fit for the current strain of virus, will not arrive in the state before the eighth wave peaks.
With predictions from the Chief Health Officer John Gerrard that the Queensland peak will be in a week, the Immunisation Coalition recommends those at risk get boosted with the current vaccine, rather than wait.
The Coalition welcomes the decision by the Australian Government’s Health Department to accept the latest advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation on the use of new Covid-19 XBB 1.5 vaccine as part of the National Covid-19 Vaccine Program.
The Immunisation Coalition’s Scientific Advisory Committee chair Robert Booy said people 75 years or older, those with major medical conditions, travellers and healthcare workers should get the vaccine available to them now.
“Australia has done an impressive job of managing Covid-19, and while it is important that vulnerable people receive their vaccination, it is also important to remember the role that masks, sensible social distancing, and washing and other hygiene measures can play in our post-pandemic response,” Prof Booy said
There are 2 new monovalent booster vaccines soon to come on line (manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna) that will be available to those who meet the respective eligibility criteria. 2 In addition, there is an effective Novavax vaccine already available.
Immunisation Coalition senior virologist and board member Prof Gary Grohmann said: “The new boosters will provide better coverage for current circulating Omicron strains.”
More than 200,000 Queenslanders have not had a single Covid-19 booster – 60 per cent of the national total – while an alarming 3.4m people in the state have not been jabbed in the past six months.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved a monovalent XBB. 1.5 vaccine in October.
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