Australia shortens wait time for people to get booster shots

CANBERRA • Australia yesterday said it will shorten the wait time for people to receive a Covid-19 booster following a rise in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The Australian government had previously said it would offer the booster to everyone aged over 18 who had had their second dose of the vaccine six months earlier.

But with rising cases of the Omicron variant, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the time interval will now be shortened to five months after the second dose.

"A booster dose five or more months after the second dose will make sure that the protection from the primary course is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus," Mr Hunt said.

"Data from Israel shows boosters supporting reductions in the rate of infection in eligible age groups, severe disease in those aged over 40 years and deaths in those over 60 years," the minister added.

Canberra will use both vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in its booster programme.

Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries, with about 90 per cent of people over 16 fully inoculated.

Still, Australia yesterday reported 1,556 cases in the previous 24 hours as infections lingered near the six-week high reported a day earlier.

The country has recorded about 229,000 Covid-19 infections, well below the toll of most other nations, and 2,100 deaths.

REUTERS