More and more countries are reducing the interval for booster vaccinations against COVID-19 to three months. Like Germany and Great Britain before, Australia and France announced these days that they would shorten the distance between the so-called boosters.

Australia will shorten the COVID-19 booster vaccination interval from five to four months from January 4, 2022. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt made the announcement on Friday, citing recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI).

After that, following the example of the UK and other countries, the country would change in a span of three months. From 4 January, Australians will be entitled to a booster vaccination four months after their second vaccination. From January 31, this period will be further reduced to three months.

“This means that around 7.5 million Australians will be entitled to booster vaccinations by 4 January, down from the previous 3.2 million,” Hunt said. He said on 31 January 16 million Australians would be entitled to a booster vaccination.

The ATAGI recently recommended that the booster be given five months instead of the previous six months, but has updated this recommendation based on international knowledge, Hunt said. The new dates were set “with sheer caution” to combat the fast-spreading Omicron version of the virus.

Germany also announced on Tuesday that it would shorten the booster vaccination interval from six to three months, based on recommendations from the Permanent Immunization Commission (STIKO). The UK and Thailand were among the first to cut the minimum booster vaccination interval in half to three months. The Philippines this week reduced waiting times for booster vaccinations to three months, while Swiss authorities cut waiting times to four months.

Australian Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said the protection against serious disease provided by the first two doses of mRNA vaccination “does not go away completely” but worsens over time, requiring a third vaccination – and Fourth “In people with compromised immunity”. ,

Even that, however, is “not enough,” Kelly said, adding that other “public health and welfare measures” imposed by several Australian states over the past few days will also play a role in slowing the spread.

French regulatory authority Haute Autorité de Sainte (HAS) also said on Friday that a COVID-19 booster vaccination could be given three months after the first full vaccination. The new recommendation was made as part of the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the Omicron version of the coronavirus in the country.

German virologist Hendrik Streich said in an interview a few days ago that it would not be possible to re-vaccinate every six months in the long term. A member of the federal government’s recently established expert council said it irritated him that Germany was already thinking loudly about a fourth vaccination.

Because of the short period of time between separate administrations of vaccines, it must be acknowledged at a certain point in the vaccination discussion that “the vaccine is not working well”.

more on topic – EU vaccination certificates without “booster” will now be invalid after nine months