Australians will now need three Covid vaccine doses to be considered “up to date” with their shots, but it will be left to individual states to set their own rules on booster mandates.
Federal health minister, Greg Hunt, following the latest meeting of the national cabinet that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s new guidance states a third dose is required.
ATAGI now uses new terminology which replaces the “fully vaccinated” status applying to someone who has had two doses.
“ATAGI recommend that everyone aged 16 years and older receive a booster dose three months after their primary course, to maintain the best protection and an ‘up to date’ status,” Hunt said in a statement.
“Further, ATAGI has advised that if it has been longer than six months since a person’s primary course and they haven’t had a booster, they will no longer be considered ‘up to date’ and instead will be considered ‘overdue’.”
The country’s states and territories also agreed to start moving toward the final phase of Australia’s virus reopening plan and begin to treat Covid the same way as the flu.
Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, who had led calls for the definition of “fully vaccinated” to be moved from two to three doses, has stated that Victoria would mandate a third dose in a few weeks in order to keep the population safe, extending the requirement to venues such as restaurants, cafes and retail.
For the time being, the National cabinet agrees to set no national three-dose mandates except for workers in aged care, and instead leave booster rules to individual jurisdictions.
The cabinet also decided that it will not stop international tourists who have not had a booster shot from entering the country. Federal government sources cited the “complication” of some overseas countries not yet starting a booster program, AAP reports.
