Keeping a New Year’s resolution to stay up to date with your COVID vaccinations will save lives and protect against long COVID, and a coalition of Australia’s leading health organisations is urging people to put it at the top of their 2024 to-do list.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said the latest data showed less than a quarter of people aged 75 years and over had received a booster in the last six months, despite this age group being recommended to get vaccinated if six months have passed since their last dose.
Vaccination rates were also low among other age groups, with just 15 per cent of people aged 65 to 74 years having received a booster in the last six months; and those figures plummeting to just 3.8 per cent of those aged 18 to 64 years, a frighteningly low benchmark.
“Lung Foundation Australia, alongside our fellow national health bodies are urging people not to be complacent,” Mr Brooke said.
“We need to see more people getting their boosters now and get those rates up so they are better protected by the time we’re facing the start of cold and flu season in Autumn.”
Asthma Australia CEO Michele Goldman urged all people with asthma to talk to their doctor or pharmacist about whether they are eligible for a COVID vaccination.
“People with asthma should do all they can to avoid getting COVID. Each COVID infection increases the risk of long COVID and prolonged complications, so each infection is worth preventing,” Ms Goldman said.
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand CEO Vincent So said staying up to date with yearly COVID vaccinations was important as there is not yet a vaccine that protects people as the virus changes from season to season.
“We have seen the different variants are not the same for severity, symptoms and how infectious they are. Much like a yearly flu shot protects you and those vulnerable in the community, so does a COVID booster,” Mr So said.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Advanced Practice Pharmacist Debbie Rigby said they supported the call to increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations.
“Pharmacists are recognised now as key immunisation workforce, and can play an important role in increasing immunisation uptake. From 1 January, appropriately trained pharmacists can administer vaccinations under the National Immunisation Program (NIP),” Ms Rigby said.
Rare Cancers Australia CEO Christine Cockburn said people living with cancer and other immunocompromising conditions continue to be at increased risk of poor outcomes following COVID infection, and we can all take steps to reduce transmission to keep our friends and loved ones safe.
“We’d urge our patients, their families and our communities to get boosted if eligible, breathe clean air – through ventilation and masks, test and stay at home if positive, and have a plan to get antivirals if needed,” Ms Cockburn said.
Mr Brooke said the situation was urgent and could only be effectively addressed through community effort.
“For the first time in 30 years we are seeing Australians’ overall life expectancy go backward, and it’s a direct result of COVID deaths. We can turn that around if people take vaccination recommendations seriously.”
Leading health bodies supporting the COVID vaccination push include: Lung Foundation Australia, Emerge Australia, Asthma Australia, Palliative Care Australia, Rare Cancers Australia, Public Health Association of Australia, The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia and the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative.
For media enquiries please contact:
Lung Foundation Australia Media and Communications Specialist Anna Hilton
0408 191 192
annah@lungfoundation.com.au