Australia drugs regulator approves Covid-19 boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds

Australia’s drug regulator on Friday approved the use of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds as authorities urge people to get their third doses soon to mitigate the threat from the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it had approved Pfizer’s vaccine for use as a booster in youths aged 16-17, joining the US, Israel and Britain.

Australia is among the most heavily vaccinated countries against Covid-19 with more than 93% of its adult population double-dosed and some 35% of people above 18 having received a booster dose, according to official data. It began administering vaccines to children aged 5-11 from early this month.

TGA said the country’s vaccination advisory group will soon give more information on when the 16-17 age group will be eligible to receive their booster doses.

Omicron has spiralled Australia’s total infections to around 2.4 million, with about 2 million detected in the last four weeks, though its less lethal impact and a booster rollout gathering pace has resulted in a lower death rate.

A total of 3,402 deaths have been registered in the country since the pandemic began, far lower than numbers seen in many comparable countries.

Australia reported fewer Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, a day after recording a pandemic high of 87 deaths, while hospital cases remained steady, raising hopes the country’s worst outbreak may have peaked.