Nearly 100 aged care facilities record COVID vax rates below 10% With more than 450 active outbreaks at last count, experts say the ‘disappointingly low’ coverage is putting the already vulnerable at risk.
Concern as avian influenza detected at commercial poultry farm While one expert warns the virus could lead to the next major pandemic, another says the risk is only small at this stage. What do we know?
Australian child vaccination rates continue to fall Many jurisdictions are close to the herd immunity threshold for highly infectious diseases like measles, with some areas especially vulnerable.
Children’s version of COVID vaccination calculator released While vaccine coverage for 5–11-year-olds remains low, the updated CoRiCal tool could help boost uptake among the cohort.
Updating COVID-19 vaccines ‘on the agenda’, but not sustainable Many Australians were recently recommended a fifth dose – but vaccination fatigue has researchers looking for longer term solutions.
Second bivalent booster receives ATAGI recommendation The vaccine will become available in December and is recommended for people who have not had their first or second booster doses.
Second application pending for under-fives COVID vaccine Pfizer has been told it can apply for its Comirnaty vaccine to be used to immunise children under five in Australia.
Call on COVID vaccine for under-fives likely ‘in coming weeks’ With mRNA vaccines for children aged under-five now approved in US, authorities are actively considering a similar move in Australia.
How do we raise child COVID-19 vaccination rates? With the dial barely moving on the proportion of younger children taking vaccines, experts are looking at what else can be done.
Booster protection wanes after four months – what does this mean for winter in Australia? The US CDC’s latest report on the durability of booster protection has found a more than 20% decline in effectiveness against emergency department encounters.