Up to 500,000 Australians with severely compromised immune systems will be offered a third coronavirus jab to maximise protection against the deadly disease from Monday.
Report informs, citing foreign media, that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Friday released new recommendations for all people aged 12 and above with certain conditions or undergoing specific therapies.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said this “first stage” of Australia’s booster program would begin from Monday.
A Pfizer jab is preferred for people two to six months after their second dose with a minimum interval of four weeks in exceptional circumstances.
Severely immunocompromised people who received their second dose more than six months ago should get another injection as soon as possible.
Booster shots will be made available to organ or stem cell transplant recipients, people with blood cancer and those receiving treatments that dampen their immune systems.
People living with HIV that is not controlled by therapy, receiving certain arthritis medications and those born with an immunodeficiency are also included.
“It’s a very specific group of the population that have an issue with their immune system,” Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said.
“Unfortunately, some people that have immune systems that don’t work as well as the general population, those vaccines may not lead to that protection.