The federal government has released 9 million doses of flu vaccine for high-risk groups that receive it free of charge as part of the national immunization program. An additional 7.8 million doses are provided for those who are happy to pay about $ 20 to their GP or pharmacist, or funded by their employer.
NSW and Queensland have announced free flu shots for everyone through GPs and pharmacists and Victoria is working on a similar plan, with other states and territories expected to follow.
Australian Medical Association President Dr Omar Khorshid said states were “fighting” to deal with an increase in flu cases that had exacerbated the crisis in emergency departments, but “this is not the case. how we do the immunization policy “.
While supporting the fact that flu shots are free for everyone, Khorshid said the cost was not the only barrier and that a campaign was needed with “very strong messages, as we had with COVID, encouraging people to do the right thing … not just for themselves, “he said. but for others in the community. ”
Data from the Federal Department of Health show there were 38,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza across Australia on May 22, with 26,193, more than two-thirds, recorded in the previous fortnight after the number of cases tripled.
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Dr Craig Dalton, founder of the infectious disease surveillance website FluTracking, said the number of cases was similar at this time in 2019, the year Australia recorded more than 300,000 flu cases and 1,080 deaths, all and that more people were being tested this year.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said any extension of eligibility for free flu vaccines under the National Immunization Program (NIP) should be guided by the advice of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
“The PBAC should consider the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the vaccine along with ATAGI advice,” the spokesman said. “Eligibility for NIP flu vaccines remains unchanged for 2022.”