WA Health has launched a new public awareness campaign to highlight the importance of influenza vaccines.
The campaign includes Perth’s first short-term drive-through flu clinic to be established in late May.
Minister for Health, Roger Cook said it was more important than ever to be vaccinated this year, especially as the influenza season was going to overlap the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Cook said the short-term drive-through influenza clinic was an Australian first.
“The Government is also the first State to provide free influenza vaccinations to primary school children who had the highest rate of influenza infection last year,” Mr Cook said.
“While there has been an 80 per cent increase in early influenza vaccination uptake this year, those people who have not received a flu jab are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.”
He said taking action over the coming weeks to get vaccinated would help to take pressure off WA’s health care system and hospitals as the influenza season progressed.
“Already more than 348,000 Western Australians have received an influenza vaccination and WA Health has observed that older people in the Great Southern and Mid-West have achieved over 50 per cent vaccination rate already,” Mr Cook said.
“Last year WA experienced an unprecedented influenza season, which started earlier than previous years, resulting in a significant increase in notifications, hospitalisations and deaths,” he said.
