Covid-19 Vaccine: Today show host Karl Stefanovic on Covid vaccinations after ATAGI recommended a booster

Karl Stefanovic says he’s fed up with new Covid-19 shots and expressed concern about vaccination complications after another booster shot was made available to millions of Australians.

All Australian adults are eligible for a further Covid booster shot from February 20 after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) updated its recommendations on Wednesday morning.

This means that people aged 18 to 29 can get a fourth vaccination, while people aged 30 and over are eligible for a fifth vaccination.

ATAGI specifically recommends that people at risk of serious illness—those over the age of 65 and younger adults with medical comorbidities, disabilities, or complex health needs—receive a booster dose in 2023.

It is recommended that each booster dose is given at least six months after the last Covid vaccination or infection.

Following the ATAGI update, Stefanovic declared he was “done” with Covid vaccines, with top doctor and medical commentator Nick Coatsworth also questioning when the push for new boosters would end.

The Today Show host also expressed concern about possible health effects from the sting of contracting the virus itself.

Millions of Australians are eligible for a fifth Covid vaccination from February 20

“As you know, I’m not a bright ambassador for more than two shots,” Stefanovic began.

“I’ve had Covid a few times and I’m done with the vaccine.

“There’s a big part of Australia that’s done and there’s another part that’s happy to have them on.”

“Is this vaccine capable of fighting new strains?”

dr Coatsworth acknowledged that a fifth vaccination would only provide improved protection for 8-12 weeks.

“It’s a very temporary protection, not a lifetime protection,” he said.

“That’s the problem with these boosters, and at some point we have to stop with these continuous booster recommendations.”

Stefanovic also raised concerns about potential complications should he decide to roll up his sleeves for another jab.

Karl Stefanovic says he is “done” with the Covid vaccination and is more worried about possible complications from the vaccine

“The other thing that worries me is that I might get complications on another dose,” he said.

“I’ve seen all these reports on the internet of fit and healthy people just dropping out with heart problems and that’s it not yet obviously established whether or not the vaccine causes some of the heart problems,” he said.

“So that’s a worry for me to get more than Covid.”

dr Coatsworth admitted complications are possible but assured viewers the vaccine was safe.

“I don’t think hundreds of cardiac deaths are being swept under the rug,” he said

“There are complications, but we know them.”

Stefanovic also spoke on behalf of elderly relatives who were still “incredibly nervous” about catching the virus.

“That’s such a problem, Karl, because it’s not necessary,” replied Dr. Coatsworth.

“If you’re a relatively healthy over-60s and you live at home and are independent and you’ve had your doses of vaccine, the likelihood of you going into hospital with Covid is extraordinarily small,” he said.

Nick Coatsworth acknowledged that a fifth stitch would only provide improved protection for 8-12 weeks

The fifth jab was before only available to severely immunocompromised Australians.

“From February 20th, all adults who have not had a booster or infection in the past six months can go outside and get a booster shot to give them extra protection against serious illness from Covid,” Health Secretary Mark Butler said in a statement .

“If you are 65 or older, or an adult at risk of severe Covid disease and it has been six months since your last booster or infection, now is the time for a booster.”

The announcement means Australians aged 18-29 will be eligible for a fourth vaccine but will not be offered to children unless they have health conditions that put them at risk of serious illness.

Those who have not had Covid or a booster shot in the past six months can get another shot. Pictured is Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell receiving a push ahead of the Tokyo Olympics

It comes weeks after the Albanian government insisted a third booster was not necessary after ATAGI initially advised against getting a fifth vaccination.

In November, ATAGI found that serious illness and death during a recent virus outbreak in Singapore were very rare among people who had received at least two doses of a Covid vaccine.

Around 72 per cent of eligible Australians have received three doses, while 5.4million have returned for a fourth.

The fifth dose recommendation is welcomed by medical experts, who are calling for a third booster shot at the same times as the flu shot in April and May, before the virus is expected to reach its infection peak.

Professor Robert Booy, an infectious disease expert at the University of Sydney, said the effectiveness of the last booster shot given six months ago to the elderly and immunocompromised is “now declining”.