COVID-19 booster shots are available to anyone aged 18 and over who had the second dose of their primary course six months or more ago.
Booster shots will be free for anyone in Australia.
Booster shots will be Pfizer
Pfizer is recommended by ATAGI as a COVID-19 booster dose. You can have the Pfizer vaccine as a booster dose regardless of which vaccine you had for your first two doses. You can also receive the AstraZeneca vaccine if you:
- can’t have the Pfizer vaccine for medical reasons
- had two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine previously.
COVID-19 booster eligibility
You are eligible for a COVID-19 booster if:
- you are 18 years and older, and
- have had your second dose of your primary dose course of COVID-19 vaccination at least six months ago.
No booster shot for under 18 year olds
Booster doses are not currently recommended for people aged <18 years. In this age group, severe COVID-19 is uncommon, and the primary course of COVID-19 vaccines generates a strong immune response, so the benefit from additional doses of vaccine is likely to be small. In addition, there are currently only very limited data on the safety of repeated Pfizer vaccine doses in this age group.
Recommendations for severely immunocompromised people
In severely immunocompromised individuals who have recently been recommended to receive a third dose of a primary COVID-19 vaccine, three booster doses (i.e. fourth doses) are not yet recommended. Further information on booster doses in this group will be provided soon.
Speak to your GP or go to Department of Health website for more information.
Vaccine information in your language (Department of Health website)