Do I need a COVID-19 Winter Booster?
The cold weather can make it easier for viruses to infect our bodies.
As Australia moves into winter, an additional booster dose, or ‘winter dose’, is recommended for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 who have already had their first booster dose.
If it has been at least 4 months since your first booster dose and you fit into one of the below categories, you should book an appointment to have another booster dose as soon as possible before or during winter:
- 65 years or older
- a resident of an aged care or disability care facility
- severely immunocompromised
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and aged 50 years and older.
People who have had COVID-19 should also wait at least 3 months before having an additional dose.
Read ATAGI’s statement on winter doses.
For those who are not at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, a two dose primary course and a booster dose provides very good and lasting protection against COVID-19. Protection against severe disease is high and looks to wane slowly over time.
For now, the larger part of the Australian population are not recommended to receive any further doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Our experts continue to review new information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and will make new recommendations if necessary.
For more information visit www.health.gov.au
If you require a COVID-19 Winter Booster, book an appointment via our website or through the AMS App.
