With NSW now well past the 90 per cent vaccine milestone, it is easy grow complacent and think that the job is done and we are all largely protected against the virus. However, booster doses are an important added protection for all citizens, their loved ones and their communities. A booster dose will make sure the protection from the first dose is even stronger and longer lasting, and it should also help prevent the spread of the virus.
However, I am concerned that awareness of booster doses and when people are eligible for them is not as high as it should be, particularly with the emergence of the Omnicron COVID-19 variant.
That's why NSW Labor are calling on the Government to rollout a comprehensive public awareness campaign reminding people to get their booster doses.
Global and local health experts have been clear that booster doses play an important role in providing people with the maximum protection available against COVID-19, and whilst it is still emerging as to whether or not existing vaccines will be useful in reducing the impact of this latest variant, what we do know is it is a powerful tool in keeping people safe from the Delta variant.
The NSW Government must invest in a comprehensive public awareness campaign, in multiple community languages to ensure residents of NSW are aware of the importance of getting a booster dose.
We all want to put the pandemic behind us and look towards the future, and the better protected we are the sooner we will able to do just that.
If it has been six months or more since your second dosage of the vaccine, book in for a booster dose and remind those around you to do the same. The emergence of the Omnicron reminds us that COVID-19 may well be a part of our lives for quite some time, and vaccines, including booster doses are our best weapon against it.
