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Australians aged 18 and over to receive COVID-19 booster shots from November

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Sarah IsonThe West Australian
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VideoTGA approve Pfizer for use as a booster shot.

Australians aged 18 and over will be offered their third COVID-19 jab from early next month.

It comes as the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Wednesday ticked off Pfizer as a safe booster vaccine.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said he expected Australians over 18s would be offered boosters from November 8.

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The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is yet to officially recommend boosters, but Mr Hunt said he was expecting that advice any day.

Immunocompromised Australians and those in aged care have been offered boosters for the past few weeks.

The general population can get their third jab six months after their second.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australians aged 18 and over will be offered their third COVID-19 jab from early next month.
Camera IconAustralian Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australians aged 18 and over will be offered their third COVID-19 jab from early next month. Credit: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images

More than 1.6 million people will be six months on from their second dose from January 1, but Mr Hunt said Australia “had the supply” to effectively roll out the booster program.

“The Government also expects that Moderna will shortly apply to the TGA for registration of booster doses for their vaccine,” Mr Hunt said.

“With over 151 million Pfizer, Novavax and Moderna vaccines already secured for supply into the future, Australia is well prepared to provide booster doses as approvals are provided by the medical experts.”

Mr Hunt said the rollout of boosters meant Australians would be highly protected against the virus into the future.

“We have one of the highest vaccination rates, one of the most recently vaccinated populations and one of the first booster programs which means that we will most protected countries in the world,”

Australians aged 18 and over will be offered their third COVID-19 jab from early next month.
Camera IconAustralians aged 18 and over will be offered their third COVID-19 jab from early next month. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

It comes as children aged five to 11 are one step closer to being offered a COVID-19 vaccine, following a submission from Pfizer overnight after the Food and Drug Administration in the US endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for the age group.

Head of the TGA Professor John Skerritt confirmed Pfizer had submitted its application for Australia.

”Yesterday we received not the full application but most of it,” he said.

“We looked at that carefully.”

Professor Skerritt said he hoped five to 11 year olds would be offered the vaccine “at the end of November”.

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