Fourth Covid jab set to be recommended for some Australians ahead of winter

Some Australians will soon be eligible for a fourth dose of Covid vaccination after the nation’s expert panel made a major decision.

Australians will have to wait a little longer before being offered a fourth Covid jab following confirmation those most vulnerable will soon become eligible for a “winter booster”.

The second booster shot will be offered to people aged 65 and over, the immunocompromised, Indigenous Australians over 50 and residents of aged and disability care facilities from Monday.

Vaccines will be dispensed through state and commonwealth clinics, GPs, pharmacies and Indigenous medical clinics.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommended the fourth shot be given four months after their first booster and can be co-administered with the influenza vaccine.

But the advisory body said there was “insufficient evidence” to open up the program to the broader public.

A fourth dose is set to be recommended to vulnerable Australians. Picture: Brendan Radke

“ATAGI will continue to monitor emerging evidence and may recommend an additional dose for these groups in the future,” it said in a statement.

Health Minister Greg Hunt insisted the decision to limit the winter booster was not due to supply constraints.

“It was an open question that was put to ATAGI … (and it was) their job was to recommend who should get it,” he said.

“We have sufficient vaccines to dose all Australians not just four times but five times.”

But he added the government was anticipating the entire population to become eligible for the winter shot down the line.

“It may be that the future evidence going forward is that it might only be older groups or immunocompromised groups, but we’re planning,” Mr Hunt said.

Pfizer and Moderna remain as the preferred options for the second booster.

AstraZeneca and Novavax can be used if no other vaccines are considered to be suitable.

More than 12.5 million boosters have been administered across Australia.

Health Minister Greg Hunt flagged the change on Thursday. NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

ATAGI formally dumped the term fully vaccinated in February, ruling Australians aged 16 and over would require a third dose of the jab to be considered “up to date”.

Medical experts have indicated they would like to shift away from numbered vaccine doses and for a jab akin to the flu vaccine to be administered annually.

It comes amid concerns Australia is facing a surge in both Covid and flu cases this winter.

Meanwhile, two Melbourne-made Covid vaccines, which developers hope will be more powerful and protective than existing jabs, are set to begin human trials.

The new vaccine candidates – developed by the Doherty Institute and Monash University, focus solely on the tip of the virus’ spike protein, the receptor binding domain.

More than 110 Melburnians will be jabbed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital over the coming months as part of the first phase of trials.