Indigenous people at higher risk of developing respiratory infections are being urged to keep up-to-date with COVID-19 boosters, as a study finds its effectiveness against serious disease.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Menzies School of Health Research and Peter Doherty Institute, was the first to map immune responses in any Indigenous population after receiving a COVID vaccine.

Around the world, First Nations people have disproportionate rates of comorbidities, such as diabetes, chronic respiratory and renal disease, and higher death rates from these illnesses.

But the Australian study of 97 patients who received an MRNA vaccine - including 58 Indigenous and 39 non-Indigenous people - provided strong evidence that it triggered an effective immune response against the virus in both groups.

Lead author of the study Wuji Zhang said the research showed "excellent" antibody responses in Indigenous Australians following their vaccination.

"We saw high levels of antibodies binding to the virus following two vaccine doses," he said.

Menzies School of Health Research Associate Professor Jane Davies said the research should provide extra reassurance to Indigenous communities worldwide about the benefits of vaccination.

"This work also highlights the crucial importance of being up-to-date with COVID vaccination for individuals with comorbidities, especially diabetes and renal disease," she said.

University of Melbourne Professor Katherine Kedzierska said the findings were the first to report such good immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in First Nations people.

"Like other studies on non-Indigenous cohorts, antibody responses against the COVID variants Delta and Omicron were lower compared to the ancestral strain, but were substantially increased following the booster vaccine dose," she said.

"While the results of the study are encouraging, it also showed that antibody responses are highly affected by comorbidities in Indigenous populations, especially diabetes and renal disease."