Australia: ATAGI recommends third COVID vaccine dose for immunocompromised individuals

As Australia battles with the third wave of COVID outbreak, an expert council on vaccinations has advised that the third dose of COVID vaccine will be administered to critically immunocompromised individuals. On October 8, Friday, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) announced that people who underwent organ and stem cell transplantation, as well as people suffering from cancer, may not be adequately protected by the usual vaccination doses. 

ATAGI suggested that individuals who have received the second dosage will be able to obtain a booster shot between two to six months of the second dose. In a release, the ATAGI stated that the third vaccine doses are designed to enhance the degree of immune reaction for the general public. 

Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization talks about the Third vaccine doses

In highly immunocompromised Australians, protection after three main doses might still be weaker than the general public. Even after receiving the third dosage, risk mitigation techniques like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing should be continued. ATAGI will also give further information on booster dosages for the healthcare staff, older individuals, as well as the general public.  

Presently, ATAGI does not suggest any further dosages beyond the third. ATAGI further stated that individuals who do not respond to the third dose are unlikely to respond to subsequent doses. 

As per the ATAGI recommendation, for the third dosage, an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna is favoured over AstraZeneca. However, AstraZeneca could be utilised as the third dose for those individuals who have already received AstraZeneca for their first two doses if there are no potential side effects or preventative measures for use.  

Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt has praised the decision and stated that booster doses will be available in mid-October. According to ATAGI's recommendation, about 500,000 Australians will be qualified for a third vaccination dosage.

Additionally, Australia achieved a "landmark" on October 5, as 80% of the population aged 16 and above received at least one COVID vaccine dosage, while 59.3% had received two vaccine shots. 

COVID Situation in Australia

The news of giving a third dose to the immunocompromised came when Australia set a new daily COVID-19 case record on Friday, with 2,524 new locally acquired illnesses registered throughout the country. According to the latest numbers provided by the Worldometer, the total number of confirmed cases in the nation is 122,566, whereas the total number of fatalities is 1,405. Currently, the total number of active cases in the nation is 31,256, of which 296 infected people are in serious condition. 

(Image: AP)