There may be a new variant in town, but COVID-19 is no longer a disease of national significance.
And pharmacies across Canberra are still accepting walk-in vaccinations for 2024.
While the new variant, JN.1, has contributed to a sharp increase in hospitalisations in NSW and Victoria, ACT Heath said it had not observed a similar trend.
There were 20 hospitalisations for the reporting period between December 29, 2023 and January 4, 2024.
Over Christmas, Canberra recorded 74 new cases and in the latest New Year reporting, there have been 120 new cases.
The Australian advisory body ATAGI currently recommends that all adults aged 75 receive an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose if at least six months have passed since their last dose.
For younger people or older adults who are not severely immuno-compromised who have already had a dose in 2023, no further doses are currently recommended.
Booster doses are not recommended at this time for children and adolescents under 18 with no risk factors for severe COVID-19.
According to ATAGI, the baseline risk of severe illness is low for those already been vaccinated, and particularly if they have also had prior infection.
Where can you get your booster?
COVID-19 boosters can be booked at your local GP or a pharmacy.
Vaccination providers can be found on the healthdirect Service Finder website.
The Pharmacy on Northbourne chemist Chris Lawler said if people over the age of 75 still needed to get their booster, they can they walk into the pharmacy and get it.
"The Canberra population is very good at maintaining the regular vaccines, all boosters are available six months after the last dose received. If you've already had your recommended boosters, you don't need to get another dose, even if it has been six months since you had one, " Mr Lawler said.
Canberra pharmacies are currently offering Pfizer and Moderna Omicron XBB 1.5 vaccines.
Capital Chemist in Kingston recommends booking online on their website. They also accept walk-ins for Pfizer vaccines between 10am-4 pm Monday to Friday.
Pharmacist Yuh-Lin Gan at Capital Chemist Kingston said the monovalent XBB 1.5 would provide the best protection against the latest COVID-19 variant.
Looking into 2024
In October 2023, the Australian chief medical officer removed COVID-19 from the Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.
Since then, the ACT government made several changes to COVID-19 testing activities.
You will need a pathology referral form to get a PCR test for COVID-19 in the ACT and you will no longer be able to report positive RAT results to ACT Health.
The detailed Weekly Epidemiology Update for COVID-19 will no longer be published on the ACT COVID-19 website.
Free Rapid Antigen Tests remain available from ACT Government RAT collection centres until January 31, 2024. These RATs will expire at the end of February, 2024. RATS are readily available for purchase from retailers, such as pharmacies.
New waves and variants
The new COVID-19 variant JN.1 has seen a spike in NSW and Victoria but epidemiologists said there was no cause for serious concern.
JN.1 emerged from the Omicron variant BA.2.86, unofficially dubbed "Pirola" according to Australian National University professor Peter Collignon.
Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said patterns from the last two years may indicate that there will be one or two COVID waves in 2024.
There were about five to six months between the spring COVID-19 wave and the current one.
"That was the longest gap between waves and it was also the biggest drop in infections between waves that we've seen since Omicron arrived," Dr Bennett said.
This summer may see two smaller peaks of infections.
"The trend might still be the same, that even if you don't have a single peak, but you have two closely associated peaks in summer, that we still won't see that really strong take off," Dr Bennett said.
"It's not going to be clear. It's not to say that every wave will be smaller than the last, but we've had a lot in succession where that's true."
Professor Collignon said while there is cause for concern over the new variant, COVID-19 variants are becoming less severe over time and are less likely to cause severe diseases like previous variants.
"Provided you are vaccinated, and you've had COVID once before if you get COVID, the risks are about the same as influenza," Professor Collignon said.
"The people at risk are those over 80 and people that have underlying diseases."
