Australia joins Israel as one of the few nations in the world to make COVID-19 boosters available to all. Aged care residents began to receive their top-up shot today. The boosters won't be mandatory.
But the Head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Professor John Skerritt, is urging everyone to get one.
'It definitely gives extra protection against severe disease, particularly for older Australians and those in that vulnerable group. You will remember last year with that 1A and 1B. We are not prioritising this time around. But they will be first to hit that 6-month period.'
The Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, has allayed the concerns of parents travelling back to Australia with children between the ages of 12 and 17 who aren't fully vaccinated.
He says they'll be exempt from hotel quarantine if they land in New South Wales or Victoria, but must quarantine at home.
'We are not going to be splitting up families. Those children will travel above the cap. And they will be required to have seven-day home quarantine, and a couple of tests just as an extra safety buffer, because they are not fully vaccinated.'
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