Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious illness during winter. This page explains who should get vaccinated against flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), when to get vaccinated, and where to book your appointment.
Flu vaccine
Who should get a flu vaccine?
Everyone over the age of six months should have a flu vaccination every year.
Getting vaccinated against the flu helps protect both you and the people around you.
It’s particularly important to protect vulnerable people in the community who are at risk of severe disease, such as:
- babies
- older people
- pregnant women
- people with chronic (long-term) health conditions
Why should I get a flu vaccine?
In Australia, the flu is the most common illness which can be prevented with a vaccine.
Some people have only a mild illness, but others can become seriously unwell and need to go to the hospital when they have the flu. Even otherwise healthy people can get very sick with the flu.
Vaccination gives you protection.
Vaccination reduces the severity of flu-related illness, and the risk of flu-related hospitalisations and deaths. Studies suggest that in Australia in 2024, vaccinated people were about 60 per cent less likely to visit their GP or be hospitalised with flu than unvaccinated people.
Is vaccination safe?
Yes, vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your family from serious disease caused by flu.
Vaccines, like other medicines, can have side effects. However, all vaccines used in Australia have been developed, tested and monitored for safety, and the benefits of these vaccines greatly outweigh their risks.
Find out more about vaccine safety on the Department of Health and Aged Care website
Debunking the myth
The flu vaccine does not cause the flu. This is because all flu vaccines in use in Australia are made with a virus which has been inactivated or killed. Sometimes, the normal responses the body has after getting the vaccine can be like the early signs of flu.
People may experience swelling, redness and pain at the injection site, and also fever, tiredness and muscle aches. This can make people think they have developed flu from the vaccine. But these symptoms are a sign the vaccine is causing an immune response, which is what it’s designed to do.
The symptoms can start within a few hours of being vaccinated and sometimes last one to two days. They go away on their own once your body has successfully made an immune response to the vaccine, which will protect you from flu.
Where do I get a flu vaccine?
You can get a flu shot at:
- your local GP clinic
- local council immunisation clinics
- community health centres
- Aboriginal health services
- some pharmacies
Visit healthdirect.gov.au to find a vaccination site and make a booking.
Who can get a free flu vaccine?
Free flu vaccines will be available to eligible people under the National Immunisation Program, including:
- children aged six months to less than five years of age
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and over
- pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
- people aged 65 years or over
- people aged six months and over with medical risk conditions putting them at increased risk of severe flu
Ask your GP if your medical condition makes you eligible for a free vaccine.
You can pay for the flu shot if you are not eligible for free vaccination.
How do I protect myself and others from the flu?
There are simple steps to help protect others, including:
- get your annual flu vaccination
- stay home if you are sick and wear a mask if you need to leave home
- get together outdoors or in large, well-ventilated spaces with open doors and windows
- avoid crowded places
- don’t visit people who are at higher risk of severe illness if you are sick or have tested positive for flu
- practice good hand hygiene, including handwashing
Visit healthdirect.gov.au for more tips
Find out more:
Health Resource Directory – Influenza Immunisation
Healthdirect: Flu vaccine FAQs
NSW Health – Influenza, including information in various languages
SKAI, Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – 2026 flu vaccination – consumer factsheet
2026 respiratory illness resources (posters, factsheets, videos, brochures):
2026 Respiratory illness resources
Aboriginal communities – Respiratory illness resources for Aboriginal communities
Translated resources – Translated respiratory illness resources
Other respiratory illnesses
NSW Health has the following advice about protecting yourself and others from respiratory illnesses like flu, COVID-19 and RSV – Respiratory illness: influenza (flu), COVID-19 and RSV.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, highly contagious virus which infects the airways and lungs.
RSV spreads between people when an infected person produces small water droplets while talking, coughing or sneezing. The droplets can be inhaled by others or land on surfaces where the virus can live for several hours.
Those most at risk of severe illness include babies and young children, and older adults, especially those with chronic heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems.
Most RSV infections in NSW happen in late autumn and winter.
Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect against serious disease caused by RSV.
RSV vaccination is recommended for specific groups including:
- women at 28 to 36 weeks pregnancy
- infants and children under two years of age
- whose mothers were not vaccinated at least two weeks before delivery, or
- who are at increased risk of severe disease, or
- who have medical conditions or circumstances which increase their risk of RSV disease
- First Nations people aged 60 years and over
- people aged 60 years and over with medical conditions which increase their risk of severe RSV disease
- people aged 75 years and over.
The maternal RSV vaccine (Abrysvo®) is free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) and is recommended for women at 28 to 36 weeks pregnancy (prior to 37 weeks) to protect their baby.
From 15 May 2026, RSV vaccines will be funded through the NIP for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 60 years and over, and adults aged 75 years and over.
Ask your GP about RSV vaccination.
Find out more:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) factsheet | NSW Health
COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 is a human coronavirus which spreads from an infected person to other people in close contact:
- through contaminated droplets and aerosolised particles spread by coughing or sneezing
- by touching your mouth, nose and eyes with contaminated hands. Hands can become contaminated after contact with respiratory fluids, surfaces and objects containing the virus
Symptoms may include:
- fever (37.5 degrees Celsius or higher)
- cough
- sore throat
- shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
- runny nose
- loss of taste
- loss of smell
The amount of time between exposure to the virus and the first appearance of symptoms is usually three days, although it may range from two to 14 days.
Continue to protect other people. Please stay home if you have any cold or flu symptoms. Wear a mask if you need to leave home.
Are your COVID-19 vaccinations up-to-date? Use this tool to determine whether you are eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccination.
COVID-19 booster eligibility checker | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Find a COVID-19 vaccine clinic near you | healthdirect
Find out more about COVID-19 | Health Resource Directory
Free community immunisation days 2026
These clinics are delivered by NSW Health’s South Western Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit, and are open to eligible community members.
Visit a clinic
Winter wellness
If you get sick with cold or flu symptoms this winter, here is what you can do:
Speak to your GP
Your regular GP is the best place to start. Ask if they offer telehealth to avoid public places while you’re sick. If you need to attend in person, wear a face mask.
Call healthdirect – 1800 022 222
Free, 24/7 health advice. A registered nurse will help you decide what to do next and can help you find local care, which might be Urgent Care.
Visit Urgent Care
Urgent Care is for minor illnesses and injuries which need urgent medical attention the same day. Clinics are bulk-billed and available in Austral, Bankstown, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Gregory Hills and Liverpool.
For more information about Urgent Care, visit Urgent Care in South Western Sydney.
Use the after-hours GP service
Need help outside your regular GP hours? Access your local after-hours GP service.
Learn more: After-hours healthcare in South Western Sydney.
Call Triple Zero (000) or visit your nearest hospital emergency department for life-threatening symptoms.
Looking for advice in your preferred language? For free health advice call healthdirect using the TIS interpreter services on 131 450.