Thursday 7 July 2022 03:33 AM Dr Chris Moy explains why Aussies under 30 will NOT need fourth Covid shot trends now
A doctor has explained why Aussies under 30 don't need to get a fourth Covid jab - because the benefits will not outweigh the risks.
A fourth vaccination - or second booster - is currently only available to those over 65, people in aged or disability care and the immunocompromised.
However, Aussies aged over 30 will be eligible for a fourth Covid jab after the nation's top doctors lobbied for a winter booster to ease the pressure on Australia's hospitals.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is now set to approve a second booster shot after meeting to discuss the hotly debated issue on Wednesday evening.
ATAGI delayed recommending a fourth shot until a fresh wave of infections was about to kick off, Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy said.
He explained that 30 was the cut off age because the benefits of the jab outweighed the risks of getting Covid.
Doctors have previously suggested that jabs for some young people could lead to side effects like myocarditis - a condition which causes swelling of the heart muscle.
Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy explained that 30 was the cut off age because the benefits of the jab outweighed its risks
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is set to approve a second booster shot after meeting to discuss the hotly debated issue on Wednesday evening
'(ATAGI has) been under pressure for a long time now to go to the fourth shot for everybody,' Dr Moy told ABC radio on Thursday.
'We're facing a new surge, a really worrying surge ... we are looking at hospitals which are already full facing a real disaster in terms of being overrun, so this is why I think the decision is coming.'
However, Dr Moy insisted that the booster was necessary and said there was now evidence that new variants were having more impact on the lungs.
'The three things that are worrying about it, there's evidence coming from overseas that [the new subvariants] are more infectious. It's outrunning B.A.2, which is the previous subvariant...with high reinfection rates.
'It has a greater propensity for the lungs – that means more serious disease, whereas the previous periods have been more in the upper airways.
'So therefore, because of that, we may be looking at a higher proportion of people in hospitals. A high percentage, even a small percentage, is going to cause the
