COVID-19 vaccine FAQs

An annual (once a year) COVID-19 vaccination is recommended if you:

• are 65 years or older
• are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 years or older
• have severe immunocompromise (a severely weakened immune system)

People at higher risk of severe COVID-19, including those with certain medical conditions, may also be advised to have an additional dose each year. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or vaccination provider about what is recommended for you.

Adults aged 18 to 64 years who are not in these groups can still consider an annual COVID-19 vaccine after discussing the benefits and risks with their doctor, pharmacist or vaccination provider.

Children and teenagers under 18 years of age are not routinely recommended to get the COVID vaccination.   However, vaccination can be considered for children aged 6 months to 18 years who have conditions that make them more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. Talk to your doctor about what is recommended for your child.

It’s a good idea to have a COVID-19 vaccination before or during pregnancy.

The COVID-19 vaccine is given as an injection into your muscle.

The COVID-19 virus can cause serious illness, especially in older people and people with certain medical conditions.
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Severe symptoms and complications of COVID-19 infection can affect your:

• lungs
• cardiovascular system 
• nervous system

Having a COVID-19 vaccination lowers the chance that these symptoms get bad enough to need treatment in hospital. You can still catch the COVID-19 virus, but your symptoms will be milder.

After having a COVID-19 infection, some people experience a post-COVID condition (also known as post-COVID syndrome or long COVID) where symptoms continue for 3 months or more. Vaccinated people have a much lower chance of developing a post-COVID-19 condition.

You are more likely to get very unwell from COVID-19 if you are older than 65 years.

Your chance of serious illness from COVID-19 can also be higher if you have certain conditions or treatments, such as:

• heart disease, heart failure or coronary artery disease
• chronic kidney disease — stages 4 and 5
• chronic (ongoing) liver disease
• chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• metabolic conditions, including diabetes
• obesity — a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above
• autoimmune conditions
• asplenia
• blood cancers
• HIV
• organ transplants

Unvaccinated pregnant females are also more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. 

Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander people may also be at greater risk.

An annual COVID-19 vaccine is recommended if you:  

• are 65 years or older
• are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 years or older
• have severe immunocompromise

Some people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 may be advised to receive an additional dose each year. 

For other adults aged 18 to 64 years, an annual COVID-19 vaccine can still be considered, even if you do not have a medical risk condition. 

Children and adolescents without a medical risk condition are not routinely recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

To get the best protection from COVID-19, you should get all the recommended vaccine doses for your age and health needs.

If you are pregnant, you can consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine from 20 weeks.  This is because you are more likely to get very sick from COVID during pregnancy. Vaccination protects you and your baby. 

Learn more about COVID-19 and pregnancy (Opens in new tab).

You can also get the COVID-19 vaccination if you are breastfeeding.

You can ask your doctor or pharmacist if they're giving COVID-19 vaccinations. Use our guided search feature to help find a COVID-19 vaccine clinic near you.

COVID-19 vaccines are free under the National Immunisation Program for people at higher risk of severe illness, including:

• all adults aged 75 years and over (two doses per year, approximately six months apart)
• adults aged 65–74 years (one dose per year)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50–74 years (one dose per year)
• adults aged 18–64 years with severe immunocompromise (one dose per year)

If you are not eligible, you may be able to purchase a vaccine privately after discussing the benefits and risks with your vaccination provider. A vaccination provider may also charge a consultation or administration fee.

Yes, it's safe to get your COVID-19 vaccination at the same time as your flu vaccination. You can do both in one appointment to save time.

The most frequently reported side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are injection-site reactions, such as skin redness or a sore arm. Other side effects that may occur are:

• headache
• muscle pain
• fever and chills
• fatigue (tiredness)

These side effects usually last 1 to 3 days. If you're concerned about any side effects, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.

Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) after COVID-19 vaccines is very rare. It happens at a similar rate to other vaccinations given in Australia.

If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Languages other than English

The Health Translations website has information in languages other than English on protecting yourself and others from COVID-19 (Opens in new tab).