Fourth Covid vaccine, flu jab rollout for aged care residents

A complicated double jab rollout will see these vulnerable Aussies receive a flu jab in one arm and their fourth Covid vaccine in the other.

Aged care residents are set to be part of a complicated double jab rollout.

Aged care residents would receive a fourth Covid jab and a flu shot at the same time under plans being drawn up to protect elderly Australians before winter.

The Herald Sun can reveal the federal government has started working with aged care providers to prepare for a complicated double jab rollout — if the nation’s expert immunisation panel decides a fourth Covid vaccine dose is required for vulnerable people.

Last year, the panel recommended people wait up to 14 days between the two vaccines.

But Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck said the medical advice had since shifted and the jabs could now be administered at the same time.

“A flu jab in one arm and the Covid vaccine in the other arm is the likely scenario,” he told the Herald Sun.

Health authorities are closely monitoring evidence about the long-term effectiveness of the third Covid jab and limited overseas trials of fourth shots, including in Israel.

“The jury’s still out. We don’t have formal advice that we will do an extra booster, but we are preparing effectively as if we will,” Senator Colbeck said.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has warned of a flu wave. Picture: Martin Ollman

Chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly has warned that Australia should prepare for a flu wave this winter — after low case numbers over the past two years with the overseas border closed — as well as another Omicron wave in the middle of the year.

Senator Colbeck said that with flu vaccines usually administered between the middle of April and the end of May, this left a tight window to administer extra Covid boosters if needed.

“We want it get it done before winter if it needs to be done,” he said.

He held talks with aged care providers and peak bodies about the issue last week, and said the government was examining how the double-jab rollout could operate, given nursing homes had pre-existing arrangements for the flu shot to be delivered on site.

Therapeutic Goods Administration boss Professor John Skerritt said authorities were examining the effectiveness of the third Covid jab among older Australians, especially because they were among the first to receive a booster.

“There’s a lot of active thinking and planning going on there, and that’s good. It’s only the middle of February now, but we realise as we get to March and April, we have to have clear positions on that,” he said.

Prof Kelly said earlier this month that while it was unclear whether Omicron-specific boosters would be ready before winter, the nation had “plenty of supply” of mRNA vaccines to cover fourth shots if required.

Originally published as Fourth Covid vaccine, flu jab rollout for aged care residents