Young people aged 16 and 17 eligible for COVID-19 boosters

From today 7th April 2022, young people aged 16 and 17 can receive a free booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after completing their primary course.

Around 36,000 rangatahi aged 16 and 17 years will be eligible to receive a booster dose.

They can do this by visiting any walk-in vaccination clinic around the country.

A booster dose is particularly recommended for 16- and 17-year-olds who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalisation. This includes those who are immunocompromised or living with family members who are immunocompromised, and Māori and Pacific rangatahi. This is an important step as we move into the winter months..

This is also a reminder to any of our whanau and to the people we work with who has not yet had their booster, that even if you have already had COVID-19, getting a booster at least 3 months after you test positive helps reduce the risk of being re-infected and passing it on to others.*

It also reduces the chances of you becoming very ill and ending up in hospital.

Medsafe follows a robust approval process to ensure all the vaccines we use in New Zealand meet acceptable standards for safety, quality and efficacy.