PETER STEFANOVIC:
COVID Pfizer booster shots will be available for Australians 18 years and older from 8 November. Joining me live now is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd. Michael, good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning. First of all, I want to get to the kids, five to 11. Realistically, when do you think they'll be able to get a shot?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yeah, good morning, Pete. We're, we're still waiting for the full application from Pfizer to come to the Therapeutic Goods Administration so that the TGA can make a decision about the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged between five and 11. Then, of course, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation needs to conduct its assessment as well.
So, at the moment, we don't have a timeframe for when children will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Most important thing that we can all be doing at the moment, of course, is to make sure that as many adults and adolescents in Australia are double vaccinated as possible, as quickly as possible.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Right. What best estimate, though? Would it be this year?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes. Look, unfortunately, we're waiting for the information to come from the company, so I can't give you an exact timing as to when that will happen.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
When you're talking about dosage when it eventually happens, is it a half dose of an adult? How would that work?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes, so again, this will be determined both by the company and by the research, which they've been carrying out around the world, and then by the assessment by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which will also be in consultation with other regulators in other parts of the world. So, whether it's a half dose or a third dose, we, we're still to, to see.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Right. Okay. And are you game enough, given, given that you're not so sure about the times for five to 11's, are you game enough to be able to predict when under under-fives might be able to get a shot, Professor?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes, so there's very little research carried out at the moment on the use of these vaccines …
PETER STEFANOVIC:
[Talks over] Yeah.
MICHAEL KIDD:
… in children under the age of five. So it's still very early in that in that process.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Yeah. Okay. All right. When it comes to five to 11, though, one more on this, is this something that you think is going to have to be mandatory?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Mandatory for?
PETER STEFANOVIC:
For five- for kids, five to 11.
MICHAEL KIDD:
Five to 11's?
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Will they, will they have to take it?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Look, I'll be very surprised if we have mandatory vaccinations at this time for COVID-19 for children, that- in that age group. But, we'll watch and see what happens over time.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Okay. When it comes to those over the age of 18, let's get onto the booster shots now. Will, will they have to have them six months after the second? Or, you know, have you got a little bit more time to work on that?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yes. So the Therapeutic Goods Administration announcement yesterday was saying that the Pfizer vaccine is now licenced for booster doses for people six months after they received the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, doesn't need to be exactly six months, obviously it can be time after six months as well.
Very important at the moment, of course, that we are continuing to focus on getting the first two doses of vaccine into everybody in Australia. So that's our top priority.
The booster doses, we now have a small number of people who were vaccinated, fully vaccinated more than two, more than six months ago. And so, these will be the people who will be, if you like, at the front of the queue when it comes to getting booster doses.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
MICHAEL KIDD:
That, of course, includes residents of residential aged care facilities and disability care facilities, healthcare workers, people working in quarantine and Border Force roles. These were the people who received the vaccines first in our initial rollout.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
And is it something that you're going to have to get every six months? Because I mean, that, that does sound a lot if year upon year we're going to have to keep getting boosters every six months or so? Is that likely? Or would it more, more likely be like an annual flu shot - something that you get every year?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Yeah. So the research is continuing with these vaccines. Obviously, we've only had these vaccines available to us around the world for less than a year. Certainly, there's very little evidence that after two doses that your immunity wanes. So, what we now- what we believe at the moment is that people who have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated, are very well protected against becoming seriously unwell if they contract COVID 19.
What the booster offers is, as an implies, it gives that little extra boost to your immune system, and it is likely to make it less likely that you will contract COVID-19 if you come in contact with someone who's infected. Or if you do become infected, you'll be less likely to transmit COVID 19 to another person.
So, people who've had two doses of a COVID 19 vaccine are fully vaccinated, very well protected. The booster offers that extra layer of protection, if you like, both for you, but also for your family and for the wider community.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Great. Just, just back on my first one and just finally, Professor. Is there any shortage at the moment? Have you been told about any shortages for the vaccines given that's going to be a smaller dose for vaccines given to those between five and 11?
MICHAEL KIDD:
So, we currently don't have shortages of vaccines in Australia. We have sufficient vaccine in order to be able to provide the two doses to everybody in Australia who's eligible.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
MICHAEL KIDD:
If we do get approval for use of the vaccines and the five to 11's, we have sufficient vaccine available there as well.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Okay. So, I mean, essentially, it's the same thing? As, as all of the other vaccines for those over the age of 12?
MICHAEL KIDD:
That's right, yeah.
PETER STEFANOVIC:
Yeah. Okay. Professor, appreciate that. Thanks. We'll talk to you soon.
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