Order Covid vaccine boosters now and update tests: Platinum

Platinum healthcare fund manager Bianca Ogden has called on the federal government to start ordering more Covid vaccine for booster shots.

Bianca Ogden, a trained virologist, says Covid booster shots are part of the future. Picture: Jane Dempster

Platinum Asset Management’s healthcare fund manager, Bianca Ogden, has called on the federal government to start ordering more Covid vaccine for booster shots next year.

In a comment to Platinum investors, Dr Ogden, a trained virologist, has also urged the government to look at next-generation Covid monitoring processes now occurring in Europe, including saliva tests and do-it-yourself home Covid tests, including by gargling.

She said communities needed to be prepared to learn to live with Covid including virulent new forms of the virus such as the Delta version.

This would mean a regime of ongoing vaccinations, testing and advanced monitoring programs with new methods of regular screening for the virus, regardless of whether people had symptoms.

Dr Ogden said Covid booster shots for those who had already been vaccinated would be part of the future. Some countries were already beginning to order their booster shots.

“Vaccinations will include booster shots, with various countries already securing their allocations, particularly for the mRNA-based vaccines,” she said. “Australia must do likewise.”

Booster shots could include vaccines that provided protection against new variants of the virus.

“The mRNA companies are already working on predicting ­future variants of concern to stay ahead of the virus,” she said.

“Vaccinating children and adolescents, which is occurring in some parts of the world, is also a very important part of the battle plan to combat this coronavirus.”

Dr Ogden repeatedly warned last year of the importance of Australia diversifying its sources of vaccines, urging the government not to rely solely on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Her comments reflected a concern among some in the scientific and medical community that the government had initially put most of its eggs in the AstraZeneca ­basket.

She said Australia also had work to do in terms of the advanced screening and monitoring programs for the virus now being rolled out in Europe, which was learning to live with the virus.

Some companies in Europe were gearing up to give their staff rapid antigen tests every morning before they came to work. Other organisations such as schools were also looking at regular Covid monitoring processes. “German schools and childcare facilities are already gearing up to use child-friendly ‘lollipop’ pooled PCR (poly­merase chain reaction) tests provided by companies such as SYNLAB,” Dr Ogden said.

“There are many testing sites (in Europe), including pharmacies for rapid antigen testing and PCR testing facilities within airports and shopping centres.” Dr Ogden said there was a major debate in Europe about expanding the focus from public testing using nasal swabs at facilities towards sample collection kits that people could use at home on a more regular basis. “Vienna has been embarking on a screening program using a ‘gargle’ kit,” she said.

Under this process, people ­receive four kits a week to test themselves at home. They hand the tests in at a local supermarket or service station and get results in 24 hours.

“Holland is similarly assessing its Covid screening infrastructure looking at easy-to-do saliva swabs and routine testing twice a week,” Dr Ogden said.

She said there needed to be a shift away from a sole focus on testing for people with symptoms to a broader process of regular monitoring of the population.

“While testing levels in Australia increase at times of outbreaks, for the general population we remain focused on diagnosing infection as opposed to screening and monitoring for it,” she said.

“Therein lies a significant difference to what is happening in Europe, where efforts have shifted to screening and monitoring.

“We need to progress to screening for asymptomatic carriers, not just diagnosing symptomatic carriers.

“This is of paramount importance if we are to return to something that resembles our pre-Covid lives, like many have in other parts of the world.

“There is no reason why Australia cannot establish monitoring infrastructure, too.

“Australia has highly experienced scientists and companies that are more than capable of ­supporting a PCR screening ­approach.”