ALLISON LANGDON:
Now, it's the health advice we've been hearing for the past two years - roll up your sleeves, get jabbed and protect your family and yourself and the community from COVID-19.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Now, a fourth winter dose is being recommended for at-risk groups, and it's leaving some Aussies experiencing vaccination fatigue. For more, we're joined by COVID-19 Taskforce Commander, Lieutenant-General John Frewen, in Canberra. And Lieutenant General, thank you so much for your time today.
Look, the majority of Australians have followed the guidelines to this point, but complacency is going to be an issue now, right?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah. Look, Karl, last week we ticked over 95 per cent of the nation have had their first two doses, which is a remarkable achievement globally, and Australians are to be commended for that. About 67 per cent of people have come forward for that third dose. So again, that is a really strong rate internationally, but there is room for more people to come forward. And then we've had ATAGI’s advice on Friday about a fourth dose, a winter dose, for the most vulnerable. But we've had very strong take up in that- those over 65’s and immunocompromised and residential aged care facilities, So I think there’ll be strong take up there.
But for the rest of the population, you know, we've just refreshed the ad. It's just to remind people that, for the best possible health outcome and for the best way to keep our economy strong, come forward and get that third dose.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Do you think that fourth dose is going to be expanded to everybody? Should we all prepare ourselves for that?
JOHN FREWEN:
No. Well, the ATAGI advice at the moment is that won't be the case, and the science doesn't seem to think that's important. The fourth dose is most important for the most vulnerable. It's important because winter is coming, and the flu season is coming as well. And you can get your fourth dose, or even your third dose, and the flu shot at the same time.
So we'll be working with residential aged care facilities, disability care facilities, where we can, to get them done together before winter to make sure we've got the best protection there. And for everybody else who hasn't come forward for their third dose, I mean, there's another good opportunity there to get in and get your booster and maybe flu shot at same time.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Look, anecdotally, there's been a lot of stuff flying about the place in regards to the second dose and also, perhaps more accurately, the boosters. Has there been any up to uptick, for your mind, on whether or not there have been more heart issues associated with booster shots?
JOHN FREWEN:
I'm not tracking that, Karl, and I'd leave that to, you know, perhaps the chief health officer or one of the medical advisors. What we do know about the booster shot is, it's very clear that it reduces the severity of COVID if you've got it, if you get it. It also helps avoid the symptoms of longer COVID, which is really important. And people do wonder: if I've had COVID, why bother? Well you can get COVID multiple times, and you can get different variants as well. So really, for the best protection, that third booster is really important to people. It's never been easier to get it, so I really encourage people if you haven't gotten around it yet, to get it done.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
[Talks over] It's a different sell though, isn't it? It's like the first time around, for the first two it was to protect, you know, everyone else as well as yourself. And now this is more just a personal choice, right?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah. Well, very much, yeah. This is now about- what we’ve found is the vaccines and the boosters don't have as a great effect on transmissibility, so you're right in what you say there. What they are showing to be really effective at is keeping individuals safe, so that's why we're encouraging people to get the jab.
ALLISON LANGDON:
And if you've had three doses, perhaps four, then you're told maybe get a flu shot. You start to feel like a bit of a pincushion now that flu season is coming. We've had a break from it, really, over the last couple of years because we've been so careful. But is that something we should be concerned about?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah, absolutely. So the- We haven't had a flu season for a couple of years now. There will be a flu season. You know, we don't know how severe the flu season might be. I think, you know, maybe we've- we're much better now at those sort of COVIDSafe practices that may help avoid transmission of even things like flu in the future, but we'll have to wait and see.
The point, again, is though, we know flu is coming, we know that COVID is here and will remain here for a long time. So, you know, this winter, people will be facing the chance of getting COVID and flu. So that's why we're saying, get the booster, get the flu shot, and give yourself the best chance.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I wonder if you- I mean, if at any other time during the past two years [inaudible] a more difficult job, because to encourage people to, you know, to do that booster for the fourth time, and then it'll probably go to five and six - that gets much harder and harder for you to convince people to do so, it doesn't it?
JOHN FREWEN:
Yeah. Look, the- you know, the idea now that we’re- this winter shot, the winter shot for the most vulnerable, I think we're going to try and get away from these numerical list…
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
JOHN FREWEN:
… of ongoing doses. The health advice right now is that the winter dose is important for the most vulnerable. There's no indication that there will be ongoing dosage for the general population, but we'll wait and see. You know, it could be that there's an annual shot or a winter shot.
The take up in Australia has been extraordinary –
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
JOHN FREWEN:
… 95 per cent of people got their first two doses, 67 per cent of those people have got their boosters. So, you know, Australians get vaccines, they get that the COVID vaccines work. So people are coming forward. I understand why people can be, you know, a bit sort of complacent, think they've sort of- they've done what was required, they've done enough. But again, it's never been easier now. The vaccines are available. You can walk in on a daily basis around the country now, get it done.
What the health advice tells me, and what I've seen, is that these booster shots are really important to helping you reduce the severity of COVID and to- and avoid the longer-term effects of COVID.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
[Talks over] Have you noticed, even in your own circle, that the people that you know and love and friends are much harder to convince now – at barbeques?
JOHN FREWEN:
Well, interestingly, my immediate circle seemed to be very pro vaccine and are very quick off the mark. I know even my- I've got, you know, teenage kids, they were through the door as soon as they could to get their vaccines. I know in my kid’s friendships groups, for example, where they've had COVID, the kids that have only had two doses have had COVID worse than the kids who’ve had the third dose. So, you know, I've seen a lot of anecdotal stuff like that. So, you know, I think, lots of Australians get it, lots of Australians are really keen to get it done. But I understand what [inaudible] other people might not be so prominent on their things to do list, that they’ve got other sort of priorities at the moment. But, really, it’s really worth doing and I just encourage people to get it done.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Look, 95 per cent is an incredible result for the country. Good on you. Thanks for being with us, Lieutenant General. Always appreciate talking to you.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Thank you.
JOHN FREWEN:
Thanks guys.
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