Dr Mariam joseph is a gerontologist with her own clinic. She has appeared in many television and media outlets announcements, promoting and supporting the COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots.
She talks about the importance of having a fourth booster shot as announced by the Australian government and outlines the people who should have it.
Dr Joseph says the omicron virus is changing rapidly and the community had to stay updated with vaccination against it.
The new fourth booster shot is a newly prepared vaccine containing many previous COVID vaccines. This will make the community more immune to the many variants of the virus, she says.
In the latest government announcement, ATAGI specifically recommended the shot for people aged over 50, while people aged 30 to 49 may choose to have a fourth dose.
Previous guidelines indicated that the fourth dose was available to people over 65, aged-care residents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and older, people with a disability, the immunocompromised and anyone over 16 with a medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19.
