How Soon Before We Have to Get Around with an IV Covid Vax Drip Back Pack? By James Reed

I  have not even had one jab, but the faithful of the Covid cult have got two, and now will be able to get, if they are good kiddies, their booster four months after their second vaccine. Here is “their’ ABC covering all the exciting details. Notice how the jab time keeps decreasing, so I wonder if at some point, the members of the Covid cult will have back packs and an IV system of continuous vax feed? Injected straight into their brains.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-24/covid-booster-timeframe-shortened-omicron-variant/100723998

“Australians will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 booster shot four months after their second vaccine, with the change to come into effect from January 4.

Key points:

• By the end of January people will only have to wait three months after their second dose for a booster
• New evidence shows the vaccine's protection against severe disease is less with the Omicron variant
• The changes mean 16 million people will be eligible for a booster by the end of January

From the end of January the interval will change again, meaning people will be eligible three months after their second dose. 

Some states had been pushing for the interval between the second dose and booster to be shortened in response to the Omicron variant and a spike in case numbers.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the changes meant the number of people eligible for a booster would increase from 3.2 million at the moment, to 7.5 million at the beginning of January to 16 million at the end of January.

In a statement, the government's expert immunisation body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), said it recommended the booster timeframe be reduced "as soon as practicalities allow."

"ATAGI expects that booster vaccination alone will not be sufficient to avert a surge due to Omicron," the group said.

"However, maximising booster coverage by expanding eligibility and encouraging high uptake … may prevent a large surge in case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths.

"ATAGI also acknowledges the demands that the booster and paediatric COVID-19 vaccination programs will have on the immunisation workforce."

Vaccine effect wanes over time, but still offers protection

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said new evidence about the protection of the vaccine against Omicron was behind the latest change.

"In the last week, in fact last night and the night before, there was more evidence that came around the protective effects of boosters, but also that waning element [of the vaccine]," he said.

"And so the best evidence [ATAGI] have got at the moment is for between three and four months."

Omicron sparked calls to speed up COVID-19 boosters. But vaccine timing can be complex.

But Professor Kelly reassured people that protection from the vaccines did not suddenly disappear.

"Just because you get to three months, or four months, or five months, or six months you do not immediately lose your protection, that's not the case," he said.

"It does decrease over time. It remains in place for severe infection but it is diminished for Omicron compared with Delta."

The Chief Medical Officer also stressed the importance of public health measures like wearing a mask and social distancing to help slow the spread of the disease.

But he said the latest information indicated protection against catching COVID could also be improved with boosters.

"We know that unfortunately two doses does not change that ability to become infected a great deal. Again it wanes over time," Professor Kelly said.

"That protection against infection is diminished against Omicron, that's quite clear, but again with a booster it goes back towards the same levels as Delta."

Professor Kelly said the reason the interval would go first to four months and then three, was to not overburden the rollout. 

"There's a sense that everyone wants to be vaccinated on the first day an announcement is made, that is not necessary and indeed is not possible," he said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the delay to moving to a three-month gap was evidence the government was not prepared to ramp up rolling out boosters.

"The only explanation for why, if the advice is that three months is better than four months, is because of capacity constraints," he said.

"The government once again hasn't been ahead of the game when it comes to preparing for the action that is required based upon our own health advice and based upon international experience.

"The fact is that this government is always behind. It is always playing catch up."

Change won't mean supply issues 

When ATAGI changed its advice in mid-December it meant an extra 1 million people were eligible for their boosters, putting a crunch on GPs' and pharmacists' supplies.

ATAGI has acknowledged that reducing the timeframe again will put more pressure on the vaccine program.

But, Mr Hunt said, there was no issue with vaccine supplies, particularly to pharmacies, and that the bringing forward of booster doses would not interfere with the rollout for children aged five to 11.

"On any particular day, a particular pharmacy may have more demand than they expected but we are able to meet that," he said.

On Thursday, the head of the vaccine rollout said Australia was prepared to deal with any future changes to the booster schedule.

"We are postured ready to respond if ATAGI shifts the medical health advice around the boosters again," Lieutenant General John Frewen said.

"Supply is not a concern this time around, we have got more vaccines than will be needed."”

Can this be true? Can there ever be enough vaccines, so long as a vein still remains unpopped?