COVID-19 booster shots will be critical in Canberra where there are low levels of herd immunity, new research shows.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found Pfizer vaccines offered at least 90 per cent protection against severe COVID-19 cases for at least six months.
However, six months after the second Pfizer dose the vaccine offered less than 20 per cent protection against milder infections of the virus.
More cases have been linked to an outbreak at Wanniassa School's Junior Campus, ACT Health said on Tuesday night.
It follows closures at Ainslie School and three Queanbeyan schools, while Deputy Chief Health Officer said deep cleaning would be less important at school exposure sites.
Meanwhile, children in the ACT's Indigenous community have been disproportionately affected by the territory's COVID-19 outbreak, health authorities have revealed.
The live blog appears below this article, and sometimes takes a moment to appear.
- How to test yourself at home for COVID (if you can afford the test)
- Risk of COVID infection spike in ACT without strong booster uptake
- Canberra's Indigenous community hit hard by COVID-19
- Deep cleaning less important in school COVID cases: deputy chief health officer
- ACT records eight new cases of COVID-19
- Close to 50 ACT healthcare workers reject vaccine mandate, will be redeployed
- 'That's too high': school virus cases send up to 70 into quarantine
- ACT government to reconsider COVID response as low case numbers continue in Canberra
Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.