Australia isn't "COVID-stable" and remains susceptible to new variants, according to an independent review of vaccine and treatment purchasing.
Led by former federal health department secretary Professor Jane Halton, the review found Australia had succeeded in reaching high primary-course vaccination rates and keeping the death rate low.
But its relative performance was dropping, particularly with a "lagging" fourth-dose vaccine rate sitting at just over 40 per cent nationally.
Professor Halton, who defined COVID-stable as being able to predict when a surge will arrive - like for the annual flu season - said it was too early to say Australia was at that level.
"We are hopeful the virus is now trending down in terms of the implications we see on health and welfare ... but we can't call that just yet," she told reporters on Tuesday.
"We need to be prepared and I've made some recommendations to the (health) minister about the ability to scale up if needed, but also to make sure we have sufficient vaccines for the next couple of years."
Prof Halton hoped the upcoming northern hemisphere winter would provide the information required to make more decisions around vaccine and treatment procurement.
Her report made eight recommendations, including a public campaign on boosters, the streamlining of advisory structures and a clearer, updated framework for COVID-19 management.
Addressing the country's massive oversupply of Novavax vaccines, Health Minister Mark Butler said he hoped the protein-based vaccine could soon be used as a fourth-dose booster shot.
Australia has ordered more than 50 million doses of Novavax, but only around 214,000 had been administered as of September 4.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are currently available for boosters, but Mr Butler said Novavax's global leaders saw more use for their vaccine.
"They indicated to us there was more recent clinical data around the effectiveness of the Novavax vaccine as a booster they want to put before ATAGI (Australia's vaccine advisory group)," he told reporters.
It "will be good for them to present that clinical data to the Australian government and to advisory authorities, and I've also indicated to the department it would be good for ATAGI to come together and to consider that new data."
