Aussies more hesitant to receive their COVID booster

Credit: Tracey Nearmy/ANU - Less than half of all double-vaccinated Australians aged 18 and over have had their COVID-19 booster shot, new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. A survey of more than 3,400 adults, conducted in January 2022, found just over four-in-10 Australians (41.5 per cent) have received a third dose of a COVID vaccine. "There is a very large proportion of adult Australians who are eligible for a booster but have not yet done so, with many of these individuals likely to have waning immunity from their first two doses," study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said. The survey shows a greater number of respondents are more hesitant to receive a booster shot now than they were in October 2021, highlighting a shift in attitude towards the booster in recent months.  "In January 2022 a very high proportion of people, 65.4 per cent, said they would definitely have the booster," Professor Biddle said.  "This is a little lower than when the same people were asked in October 2021, when 71.9 per cent of people said they'd get a booster. "Leaving aside those who are not eligible, for some others this may reflect a belief that they are sufficiently protected from their initial two doses.   "The experience of the first two doses, particularly side effects, may also have made some reluctant to seek out a third dose." The survey also found young Australians aged 18-24, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, those with low education, and people who live in disadvantaged areas are less likely to have received a third dose of a COVID vaccine.