The Queensland Government has announced a free flu vaccine initiative in response to high rates of influenza B and low influenza vaccination uptake.

All Queensland residents aged 6 months and older will be eligible to receive a free flu vaccine from general practices and pharmacies, from Saturday 22 July until Thursday 31 August 2023 (inclusive).

Anyone with an appointment for influenza vaccination from Monday 17 July 2023 is covered by this announcement, and their details should be included in your invoice to Queensland Health.

There is no change for people already eligible for free influenza vaccine under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). Providers should continue to use NIP vaccine for NIP-eligible persons and privately sourced stock for people not eligible for the NIP.

The influenza vaccine is already free under the NIP for:

• First Nations people aged 6 months and over
• children aged 6 months to 5 years
• pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
• people aged 65 years and over
• people who have medical conditions that mean they have a higher risk of getting seriously sick.

GPs and pharmacists are urged to contact patients who aren’t up to date with their vaccinations.

Reimbursement information for providers

Non-NIP (private) influenza vaccine stock administered between 17 July 2023 to 31 August 2023 and not charged to a patient can be claimed for reimbursement.

To obtain your reimbursement for  administered non-NIP influenza vaccine, please use one of the following documents, ensuring you have met all submission requirements.

• Reimbursement instructions for GPs (PDF 353 kB)
• Reimbursement instructions for pharmacies
• Reimbursement instructions for other private providers (PDF 251 kB)
• Reimbursement instructions for individuals (patients) (PDF 504 kB)

Submissions for reimbursement should be made no more frequently than fortnightly. Submissions will close on 30 September 2023 and any requests received after this date will not be paid.

For more information, please refer to Frequently Asked Questions for Flu Vaccine Providers. (PDF 185 kB)

(The above vaccine service provider information comes from Queensland Health. Accessed 20 July 2023.)

Contact information for further support

Further enquiries about this initiative can be sent to fluvaccine2023@health.qld.gov.au.

Navigating patient concerns and hesitations

For patients who are concerned or want to know more about vaccines, this Queenlsand Health website provides easy-to-understand information and resources.

More resources and information on influenza is available on the Queensland Health website.