Winter booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Today ATAGI recommends an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for selected groups who are at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19. These groups are:

  • Adults aged 65 years and older

  • Residents of aged care or disability care facilities

  • People aged 16 years and older with severe immunocompromise (as defined in the ATAGI statement on the use of a 3rd primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine in individuals who are severely immunocompromised)

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and older.

The additional winter booster dose can be given from 4 months after the first booster dose, or from 4 months after a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, if infection occurred since the person’s first COVID-19 booster dose.

Influenza vaccine can be co-administered with the additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Comirnaty (Pfizer) or Spikevax (Moderna) are the preferred vaccines for COVID-19 booster doses.

Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) can be used when an mRNA vaccine is contraindicated or a person declines vaccination with an mRNA vaccine.

Nuvaxovid (Novavax) can be used if no other COVID-19 vaccine is considered suitable for that person.