COVID-19 booster shots could be administered to patients in aged care facilities as early as next month.

And the general population could be next in line, pending ATAGI advice and TGA approval of booster shots for the fully vaccinated.

However, it remains unclear whether health care workers will be prioritised along with elderly patients, with GPs calling for urgent guidance to use leftover doses as boosters for themselves.

There is also vexed debate about the optimal interval between the second and booster dose given mixed findings from international studies.