Professor Booy, professor of child and adolescent health at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, said there had been a very large increase in COVID-19 disease in Australia this year – including among children, with more than 80 per cent of deaths overall occurring this year.
There have been nine reported deaths in children aged under five years.
“Vaccine uptake in school children is less than 60 per cent,” Professor Booy said. “Yet COVID-19 disease has been described as a generation-defining disruption to children who have been forced to forgo large amounts of their education.
“Vaccines are available for high-risk children between the ages of six months and five years, and are more widely available for school children in general.”
He urged parents to make COVID-19 booster vaccinations a priority for their children and themselves.
Who is eligible for a booster?
The federal Health Department advises:
It is recommended you have the Pfizer vaccine as a booster if you are:
- 12 to 15 years old, and are severely immunocompromised, or
have a disability with significant or complex health needs, or
have complex and/or multiple health conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 - 16 years or older; and completed your primary course of COIVD-19 vaccinations at least three months ago
- People aged 18 years and older can have the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as a booster dose, regardless of which vaccine you had for your first two doses.