Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said that booster injections are now required for all workers in the state, making it the first state in Australia to do so.
According to media sources, he announced that workers who previously required two doses of the vaccine must now obtain a booster shot within one month. Western Australia also imposed severe border controls with Tasmania and the Northern Territory, making it unlawful to enter the state without a permit. The new border rules will take effect on Boxing Day, which is December 26.
According to the media, Premier McGowan also warned that those who had visited Tasmania and the Northern Territory from Western Australia should return immediately. The booster mandate and border limitations, according to McGowan, are in response to rising worries about the Omicron version. On February 5, Western Australia’s borders will reopen.
According to health officials, three doses of COVID vaccination are far more effective against Omicron than two doses, which is why workers in Western Australia’s most essential industries, such as health care, aged care, quarantine, and mining, will be required to get booster shots.
According to the Premier, almost one-third of West Australians who were eligible for the third vaccination have already received it. He urged the general people to obtain the booster shots, stating that they should begin planning for a third dose as soon as possible before Omicron arrives in their area.
In the meanwhile, McGowan revealed that four new Covid-19 cases had been detected in Western Australia. Two persons were quarantined at a hotel after flying in from different parts of Africa. The other two were a Brisbane-based pair who landed in Perth on Sunday. According to the Daily Mail, it has yet to be determined whether the pair has the Omicron variant. The immunisation rate for the second dose in Western Australia was 82.7 percent. Premier McGowan states that 91 percent of West Australians aged 12 and up have received their first dosage of the vaccine.
