Vaccination is important for adults to stay protected from harmful diseases. If you haven’t had the recommended vaccines during your childhood, you can still get catch up vaccines. If you’re not sure if you’ve had them, speak to your GP or vaccination provider.
Health advice about the COVID-19 vaccine
All people aged 5 years and over can get a COVID-19 vaccine. Find out more on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.
Vaccination Schedule
You might need to get 2 to 4 different vaccines at certain ages. It’s also important that you get your vaccines on time.
If you have medically at-risk conditions, you may need extra vaccines. Talk to your GP for more information.
19 to 49 years old
50 years old and older
All adults should get an influenza vaccination every year. There may be a fee for this.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults should get a pneumococcal vaccination depending on their previous vaccinations.
If you haven’t had pneumococcal vaccines before, you'll need to get a dose of Prevenar 13 then a dose of Pneumovax 23, 2 to 12 months after that. You’ll then need to get a second dose of Pneumovax 23 at least 5 years after the first dose.
65 years old and older
All adults should get an influenza vaccination. It’s free for people 65 or older.
70 years and older
All adults should get the following vaccinations:
- Influenza, it’s free for people 65 or older
- Varicella zoster (shingles).
They should also get a pneumococcal vaccination. This is free for non-Indigenous people who must get it at least 12 months after any previous Pneumovax 23 dose.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults should get this vaccination depending on their previous pneumococcal vaccinations.
People with certain conditions have an increased risk of pneumococcal disease and need extra doses of vaccines for better protection. For more information about pneumococcal vaccines, talk to your GP or other vaccination service provider.
Catch ups
If you’ve missed a vaccination, you can catch up. Talk to your vaccination service provider if you think you need to catch up on vaccinations.
Where to get vaccinated
Getting vaccinated is easy. You can get most vaccines from your GP or other vaccination service provider. Find out where to get vaccinated.
Vaccination information in your language
For information in your language, watch our video below.
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Vaccines for adults and other information
In Australia there are some vaccines recommended and provided for free to adults.
These include vaccines for women during pregnancy for people with some medical conditions and for people older than 65 years of age.
The vaccines given during pregnancy protect the woman and the unborn baby from diseases during pregnancy and in the first few months of the new baby's life.
As we get older, our bodies defences don't work as well and we become more vulnerable to some diseases.
Immunisations can provide protection for older people from these diseases.
Talk to your doctor about your vaccination needs.
To see which vaccines are recommended and provided free under the National Immunisation Programme Schedule in Queensland go to www.vaccinate.initiatives.qld.gov.au/schedule.
If you have questions or concerns about immunisation you can talk to your doctor or your local immunisation provider.
If you need help with English when you talk to them you can use an interpreter by calling 131 450. This service is free.
Australia is one of the safest countries in the world when it comes to vaccine preventable diseases. One of the main reasons for this is because Australia has one of the best immunisation programmes in the world.
Remember, immunisation saves lives.
Find out more
For more information about vaccination, contact your health provider or call 13 HEALTH(13 43 25 84) .
Find an vaccination provider
- Call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84)
- Use HealthDirect’s free service finder
- Call the National Immunisation Hotline on 1800 671 811
Information in your language
You can find information about vaccination in your language on the Queensland Government website.