The message this year is to get your flu shot as soon as possible.
Vaccination doesn’t just protect you, it protects those around you too.
West Moreton Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Deepak Doshi said there would be greater demand for the flu vaccine this year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
“Just to be clear, the flu vaccine will not protect you against COVID-19, but it will prevent you from suffering both viruses at once,” Dr Doshi said.
“It will also limit the spread of influenza in the community and that will take pressure off our hospitals at this busy time.”
Dr Doshi, said vaccination was the best defence against influenza and its complications.
“Even healthy people can catch the flu, and their symptoms may be relatively mild,” Dr Doshi said. “But when healthy people catch flu, they spread it to others close to them who may get seriously ill.
“So, if you think you don’t need to get vaccinated yourself, do it for your family and friends.”
The Australian Government has secured three million additional doses of seasonal influenza vaccines to protect Australians from the flu, bringing the total number of flu vaccines available for Australians to 16.5 million for 2020.
These additional three million flu vaccines will be available through GPs and community pharmacies over May and June.
Higher than usual vaccination rates for this time of the year have been recorded.
From 1 March until 19 April 2020 over 2.1 million flu vaccines had been administered and recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register compared to 624,000 at the same time in 2019 and 235,000 in 2018.
Ipswich City Council provides a free community immunisation clinic to eligible residents.
Click here to find out where Ipswich City Council’s community immunisation clinics are being held.
Click here to check if you are eligible.
All other Queenslanders can purchase the vaccine from their doctor or immunisation provider.
The flu vaccine is free for people who are at increased risk of complications, including:
- children aged six months to five years
- people over the age of 65
- pregnant women
- All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of six months
- People who have certain medical conditions which increase the risk of influenza disease complications
People outside these eligible groups can purchase an influenza vaccine at a pharmacy or their GP. West Moreton Health facilities do not offer the vaccine.
Importantly, residents should not attend an immunisation clinic if they have:
- signs of respiratory illness (fever, sore throat, shortness of breath or cough)
- had contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19
- travelled from interstate in the past 14 days or are subject to a quarantine notice.
Read also:
Fact File
- Typical flu symptoms include fever, cough, muscle aches and pains, nasal congestion, headache, sore throat and fatigue.
- Flu can spread easily from person to person by droplets from an infected person when they cough, sneeze or talk or if a well person touches surfaces contaminated by infected droplets (including hands, remote controls, phones, keyboards and door handles) and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes.
- Practice good hand hygiene and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub – this can stop viruses spreading to you.
- It is really important to stay home when you are sick, cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue then wash your hands.
- On average the flu causes an estimated 3500 deaths in Australia each year.
- You can ask about influenza vaccination at your GP or pharmacy.
