Australia's booster shot program is underway and hundreds of thousands of Australians can now get their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Whether you're eligible now or should wait a bit all comes down to when you received your second dose of a vaccine.
Here's your guide to getting vaccinated (again).
Who can get a booster shot? How do I get one?
From Monday, November 8, people aged over 18 who received their second dose of an approved vaccine more than six months ago are eligible for a booster.
So if you're in the small group of people that were fully vaccinated on May 8, you're eligible for a booster right now.
According to the federal government, more than 1.7 million people will be eligible before Christmas, with the number of boosters anticipated to skyrocket in early 2022.
You can find the date of your second dose on your COVID-19 digital certificate, your vaccination history statement, or the card you were given when you were vaccinated.
Some states, like NSW, have already begun offering booster shots to eligible people at state-run vaccination centres, but you'll likely be able to get a booster at the same place you received your original doses.
"GPs, state clinics, Commonwealth clinics, Indigenous medical centres, aged care and disability [services have] been vaccinating people with boosters," Health Minister Greg Hunt said.
Unlike the beginning of the vaccine rollout, there won't be a phased approach to boosters. The only requirements will be that you're older than 18 and received your second dose more than six months ago.
The mainstream booster shots program is separate from the offering of third COVID vaccine doses to immunocompromised people, which was announced last month.
What vaccine will I get as a booster?
Currently the only vaccine being used for boosters in Australia is the Pfizer vaccine.
Millions of Australians received the AstraZeneca vaccine, particularly early in the vaccine rollout.
But those people will now switch to the Pfizer vaccine for their booster, as the AstraZeneca vaccine isn't part of the booster program.
However, according to advice from the Australia Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), people who had an adverse reaction to an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer's can receive an AstraZeneca shot.
Australia also uses the Moderna vaccine and has an order in place on the yet-to-be-approved Novavax vaccine.
Mr Hunt has previously said Moderna is expected to apply for approval, while the long-awaited Novavax order has also been touted as a potential booster vaccine.
Novavax is in the process of getting approval for its vaccine to be used in Australia.
Why do we need boosters? Will they be linked to mandates?
The government will still consider you to be fully vaccinated if you've had two doses of a vaccine.
That's because two-dose vaccination continues to be effective in preventing severe illness from COVID-19.
However studies have noted the protection against transmission of the virus begins to wane after a few months, and booster shots are designed to strengthen your body's response to the virus.
It's not yet clear whether a fourth shot could be on the cards down the track, or whether a yearly COVID vaccination could become part of normal life.
Will children need booster shots? When will young kids be vaccinated?
The current recommendations for booster shots only apply to people aged over 18, despite the fact children aged over 12 are eligible to be vaccinated.
ATAGI says that's because children are already less likely to get seriously ill.
"In this age group, severe COVID-19 is uncommon, and the primary course of COVID-19 vaccines generates a strong immune response, so the benefit from additional doses of vaccine is likely to be small," it says.
As for children aged 11 and under, the federal government says Pfizer is in the process of applying for its vaccine to be approved for children older than five, though that process will take weeks.
Loading form...