Pfizer booster now available for teens 16+

From today (3 February), eligible Australians aged 16 and 17 years old will be able to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine, following recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

According to ATAGI, evidence demonstrates that waning of protection against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant occurs after a two-dose primary vaccination schedule, so a booster dose is required to increase protection against infection and severe disease. ATAGI thus aims to maximise protection for Australian teens who are at a critical point in their secondary education and early working lives, are generally very mobile, and may engage in increased social mixing.

The booster dose for 16- and 17-year-olds will be one dose of the adult Pfizer vaccine, COMIRNATY, at least three months after their primary course of two doses. COMIRNATY is the only vaccine registered for use as a booster for 16- and 17-year-olds at present — having also been approved in the US, the UK and Israel — but the primary series of doses can be of any of the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in in this age group. Data on the use of COMIRNATY as a booster with other COVID-19 vaccines is more limited.

ATAGI’s advice for 16- and 17-year-olds follows the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for this age group on 28 January. This includes those who were aged under 16 years when they received their last primary dose and are now aged 16 years. Adolescents aged 16–17 years who are severely immunocompromised and have received a third primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine should also receive a booster dose (fourth dose) of the Pfizer vaccine from three months after receiving their third primary dose.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said this was good news for many Year 11 and Year 12 students, who are heading back to school this week and entering an important phase in their education.

“Teenagers have made many sacrifices throughout this pandemic; their social and educational lives have suffered through lockdowns and restrictions, along with the impact on their mental health and wellbeing,” Hunt said.

“It is critical for their health and wellbeing to be able to engage with their friends and get back into school activities.”

To book a booster dose now, use the Vaccine Clinic Finder at https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/booking/.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/RFBSIP

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletters and bimonthly magazine.