The nation’s leading vaccine advisory group is set to hand down advice on whether a fourth Covid-19 jab will be needed for some Australians.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is expected to give its formal advice to the Minister for Health Greg Hunt on Thursday on a potential fourth jab before a forecast winter surge in infections.
The fourth dose would probably be for Australians over 65, as well as for immunocompromised individuals.
Mr Hunt said the government would follow the health advice that was presented.
An announcement about a fourth dose of a Covid vaccine is imminent. Pictured is a woman getting a vaccine shot
‘I’m expecting to get the advice over the course of (Thursday) and will consider it and have more to say probably in the next 48 hours,’ he said.
It comes amid concerns Covid cases could rise even further during the upcoming winter, combined with flu cases, which have been largely absent in Australia since the start of the pandemic.
Australia has seen a spike in Covid infections in recent days due to the Omicron sub-variant BA.2.
However, Mr Hunt said he was confident the country’s health system would be able to withstand any additional surges of cases.
‘We’re now on yesterday’s numbers at 26 Australians who are on ventilation. We have a 7,500-person capacity, and with Covid, there are 26,’ he said.
‘Vaccinations, the treatments that are available, the capacity of our hospital systems, all of those things have come together, and that’s one of the elements which has contributed to one of the lowest rates of loss of life in the world.’
It comes as the government announced a multi-billion dollar agreement with pharmaceutical giant Moderna for an mRNA vaccine hub.
The research and development hub will be based in Victoria at a location yet to be decided, and serve as the headquarters for the company’s operations in Australia, south-east Asia and Oceania.
The hub will be the first of its type in the southern hemisphere, with construction to begin by the end of the year.
The government has announced a multi-billion dollar agreement with pharmaceutical giant Moderna for an mRNA vaccine hub. Pictured are Moderna vaccine vials
Production at the site is expected to start from 2024.
While the facility will manufacture Covid-19 vaccines, it will also focus on other respiratory illnesses, including seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus.
The manufacturing hub is expected to produce about 100 million mRNA vaccines annually.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the facility a ‘shot in the arm’ to help protect Australians from future pandemics.
‘What we’re announcing today is absolutely essential for future pandemic preparedness, and we’re already ranked number two in the world on pandemic preparedness,’ he told reporters in Melbourne.
Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt (pictured) has welcomed Moderna’s announcement it will set up a vaccine manufacturing plant in Australia
Mr Hunt said the facility could potentially produce a combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine.
‘Moderna has looked around the world and they partnered with Australia, and we have partnered with them,’ he said.
‘mRNA isn’t just about Covid, it isn’t just about vaccines, it’s also about the precision medicines of the future so we can literally tailor the treatments for individuals over the course of the next decade.’
In Queensland, chief health officer ruled out introducing more coronavirus restrictions despite the emergence of BA.2.
Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr John Gerrard (pictured) ruled out introducing more coronavirus restrictions despite the emergence of BA.2
Dr John Gerrard said state infections jumped by 15 per cent in the past week, with more than half the cases in the past fortnight identified as BA.2.
He said since BA.2 was first discovered by Queensland Health in December it has spread to more than 90 countries.
‘In the last two weeks we have seen 58 per cent of the virus sequenced in Queensland identified as BA.2,’ he said.
‘It will be by far and away the dominant strain virus in Australia within weeks.’
However Dr Gerrard is not considering reintroducing any mandates, at least not yet.
‘A legal restriction from the chief health officer is a very serious thing to undertake,’ he said.
