Infectious diseases expert cautions it’s ‘too soon’ to mandate boosters for tourists

National cabinet is today expected to consider long awaited advice from the national expert immunisation panel about booster jabs.

It comes after Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said a three-dose rule would apply to international travellers entering Victoria if the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) changes the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ to include a booster.

But with less than a third of people in Australia’s two biggest tourism markets — China and New Zealand — currently triple-vaccinated, there are concerns mandating a third jab for international tourists will deal another blow to our tourism market.

Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health Services, Associate Professor Paul Griffin, says it’s “a bit soon” to mandate a third jab for international tourists.

“In many parts of the world they haven’t had access even to the first dose, let alone the booster, so it would be very restrictive thing to bring in if we made that booster mandatory for travellers right now,” he told Ross and Russel.

“I think, given obviously we’ve got COVID in our country, we need to be mindful of what we’re trying to achieve – just to make sure we don’t get our hospitals overrun.

“I think making two doses mandatory for those travellers will be sufficient to do that in the first instance.”

Press PLAY below to hear more of Associate Professor Griffin’s thoughts on traveller jabs