Infectious disease expert Professor Peter Collignon says fifth dose of Covid jab should be allowed

Australia’s top infectious disease expert has called for one major vaccine rule to be changed as Aussies brace for a rise in Covid-19 cases over Christmas.

Exclusive: Vaccine rules should be changed to allow people to who want a fifth Covid jab to purchase one, according to infectious diseases experts.

Australian National University Professor Peter Collignon said he was in favour of changing the rules to allow travellers to get a fifth dose.

“If people are going overseas in January and there’s a lot of Covid spreading even though you only get two months protection that may be worthwhile but I think in that situation the individual should pay for it rather than the government,” he said.

At present government rules prevent people from purchasing a Covid vaccine privately, they are only available through the publicly-funded vaccine rollout.

The government pays between $20 and $30 per shot.

Professor Peter Collignon, of Australian National University Medical School. Picture: Supplied.

University of Queensland infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Griffin said high-risk people, who had their last Covid booster six months ago, should also be able to access a fifth vaccine if they wanted one.

“There are enough people around at the moment who were eager to get vaccinated early and might have had their third or fourth dose a year ago who might be in high-risk positions like health care or are about to travel, I think allowing them to get a booster would be helpful,” Professor Griffin said.

However, he said he was not arguing the entire population should get another booster yet.

Travellers are at risk of contracting multiple newer Covid variants including BA. 5 and BQ. 1 which are dominant in Europe and the UK, the UK also has BA. 2.75.

Aussies should be able to get a fifth Covid vaccine, argue experts.

In the US BQ. 1 and BQ. 1.1 and XBB are dominant.

Pharmaceutical companies are also being urged to stop vaccine wastage by ending the supply of multi-dose vials that were necessary during the emergency phase of the pandemic and replacing them with single doses.

“When you have multi-dose vials you have a lot more waste because you have to throw it out at the end of the day when you’ve only used six out of 10 doses,” Professor Collignon said.

The Department of Health said as of 4 December 2022, Australia’s total Covid vaccine wastage rate was 17.92 per cent which is within the acceptable levels indicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Victorian President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Anthony Tassone said single dose vials were “more convenient for health practitioners to administer to patients in reducing time drawing up doses and lowers the chance of a dosing error”.