Australia: Another COVID-19 booster shot will likely be needed within the next few years

A second coronavirus vaccine booster jab may be needed within the next few years, experts say, with immunity against the virus likely to drop below 50 per cent in the six months after a second dose.

Data from the federal Health Department shows 284,000 people aged over 16 have received the booster, which is just under half the 577,000 people currently eligible for the shot. Roughly 1.6 million people in Australia will be eligible for a booster dose in December.

In an analysis published in the medical journal Lancet, researchers from the Kirby Institute, the Doherty Institute and the University of Sydney found that a third booster jab within a year more than doubled levels of immunity than that seen after the first two doses.

The research also showed that boosters work at improving immunity against current variants, including Delta.

Source: smh.com.au