Govt orders more flu shots to meet demand

The federal government has ordered nearly a million extra doses of the flu vaccine to keep up with unprecedented demand.

A close up of a vaccination

Nearly a million extra doses of the flu vaccine have been ordered after unprecedented demand. (AAP)

The federal health minister insists Australia should meet the higher than expected demand for flu vaccines.

An extra 800,000 influenza vaccines have been secured and are expected to be available in June and July, before the peak period for the spread of the flu this year.

The federal government has ordered the additional doses to help keep up with unprecedented demand.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said orders from the states were up significantly for this season but the public demand has been even greater.

Last year 8.3 million Australians were vaccinated and it has increased to almost 10 million already in 2018.

"With the extra 800,000, the advice for the chief medical officer is that we are expecting to meet all of the demand under the national immunisation program," he told ABC TV on Sunday.

Mr Hunt said Victoria asked for 1.2 million vaccinations and had received 1.3 million.

He also noted advice that this year's flu season was not expected to be as severe as last year.

Australia's acting chief medical officer Anthony Hobbs has said more vaccines would be ordered if necessary.

"We'll continue to work very closely with the chief health officers of each state and territory to ensure that the vaccine gets to those most in need," he said.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world