The Federal Government should follow the UK’s lead and start planning for a COVID-19 booster vaccine program before the current rollout is complete, a leading vaccine specialist says.

This week, the UK government announced it had ordered an extra 60 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to be set aside as booster shots to be rolled out later this year.

“Our vaccination program is bringing back our freedom, but the biggest risk to that progress is the risk posed by a new variant,” said UK health secretary Matt Hancock.

“We’re working on our plans for booster shots, which are the best way to keep us safe and free while we get this disease under control across the whole world.”