Only 50% of aged care residents are fully boosted against COVID with vaccine rollout labelled ‘too slow’

The health minister, Mark Butler, and the aged care minister, Anika Wells, have written to providers about the urgency of protecting residents and workers. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Just over half of Australia’s eligible aged care residents have had a fourth Covid vaccine dose, prompting the federal health minister, Mark Butler, to warn the winter rollout “has been too slow”.

Health department data shows about 63,515 aged care residents have had their fourth shot – that’s 51.3% of the eligible population.