Australians will now require three COVID-19 vaccine doses to be considered “up to date” with their vaccination; however, individual states will be allowed to set their own rules on booster mandates.

The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, on Thursday announced that the government’s immunization advisory body had updated the guidance. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation states in its new guidance that a third dose will be needed for an individual to be considered “up to date” with their vaccinations. The ATAGI recommends that every individual aged 16 years and above should receive a booster dose three months following the primary vaccine series, in order to maintain the best protection as well as an ‘up to date’ status, mentioned Hunt.

The immunization advisory body also states that if more than six months have passed since an individual’s primary course and they haven’t received a booster, they will not be considered ‘up to date’ and will be considered ‘overdue’… (The Guardian, February 10, 2022)