ATAGI recommends fourth COVID dose for over 65s ahead of winter

Today the government's expert vaccine advisory group ATAGI recommended an additional COVID booster for adults over 65 to increase protection against the virus before winter arrives.

This comes as COVID infections continue to grow across the Murrumbidgee Local Health District with 3249 new cases reported in the last five days.

Finley GP Alam Yoosuff said there isn't a huge sense of urgency among the community to get their booster dose and that a "concerted effort" is needed to promote its benefits both locally and nationally before the colder months arrive.

"You cannot prevent anyone [from] dying, you cannot prevent all possible morbidity [and] mortality but you can reduce it," he said.

The additional booster is directed towards those most at risk of severe illness from COVID.

Along with over 65s the booster is also recommended for residents of aged or disability care facilities, people over 16 who are severely immunocompromised, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 50.

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Dr Yoosuff believes some of the hesitancy towards the booster dose can be put down to how it was marketed.

"I think we should have communicated this as a third dose and important component to complete the full course of vaccination," he said.

"We haven't had a national campaign on it, we haven't had a localised one.

"People need to do their best to get it done."

Dr Yoosuff said its particularly important for over 65s who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to get a Pfizer booster for ultimate protection.

The additional winter booster dose can be given from four months or longer after someone has received their first booster dose, or four months after a COVID infection.

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