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Vaccinations

Flu vaccines 2022

We have now received our Flu Vaccine. However, we are not able to start vaccinations until 1 April due to Ministry of Health rules.

Our first Flu Vaccination clinic will be on Saturday 2 April.

Please feel free to call to book your appointment.

Please see the following information regarding this year’s vaccine:

4 strains covered:

A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus
B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus
B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

2 funded vaccines this year: (both have needles attached)

AFLURIA QUAD – for children and adults, aged from 3 years
AFLURIA QUAD JUNIOR – for children aged under 3 years, ie, 6–35 months

Children aged 6 months to under 9 years who are receiving the influenza vaccine for the first time should receive two doses four weeks apart.10 Children who have received a previous influenza vaccination need only a single dose.

AgeFunded
vaccine brand
DoseNumber
of doses
6–35 months, i.e., under 3 yearsvAFLURIA® QUAD JUNIOR0.25 mL 1 or 2*   
3–8 years≥ 9 yearsAFLURIA® QUAD0.5 mLv1 or 2*1

* Two doses separated by at least four weeks if an influenza vaccine is being used for the first time.

See below for Eligibilty (which has potential to change before the 1st April)

For those not eligible Flu Vaccine charge will be $40 all ages.

Eligibility criteria for FREE seasonal influenza vaccination for 2022*:

  • Pregnant women (any trimester)
  • People aged 65 years and older
  • People aged under 65 years with any of the medical conditions listed below
  • Children aged 4 years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness

*This is correct at 7 March 2022 but may change before 1 April 2022. To see the most up-to-date criteria for administration of funded influenza vaccinations visit schedule.pharmac.govt.nz/ScheduleOnline.php and search influenza.

List of eligible conditions for funded influenza vaccine

1. People 65 years of age or older; or

2. Māori and Pacific peoples aged 55 to 64 years, or

3. People under 65 years of age who:

  • have any of the following cardiovascular diseases:
    • ischaemic heart disease, or
    • congestive heart failure, or
    • rheumatic heart disease, or
    • congenital heart disease, or
    • cerebrovascular disease; or
  • have either of the following chronic respiratory diseases:
    • asthma, if on a regular preventative therapy, or
    • other chronic respiratory disease with impaired lung function;a or
  • have diabetes; or
  • have chronic renal disease; or
  • have any cancer, excluding basal and squamous skin cancers if not invasive; or
  • have any of the following other conditions:
    • autoimmune disease,b or
    • immune suppression or immune deficiency, or
    • HIV, or
    • transplant recipient, or
    • neuromuscular or CNS disease/disorder,c or
    • haemoglobinopathy,d or
    • children on long-term aspirin, or
    • a cochlear implant, or
    • error of metabolism at risk of major metabolic decompensation, or
    • pre- or post-splenectomy, or
    • Down syndrome, or
  • pregnant women (any trimester); or

4. Children aged 4 years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness.

Unless meeting the criteria set out above, the following conditions are excluded from funding:

  • asthma not requiring regular preventative therapy, or
    • PHARMAC has confirmed that people with a respiratory condition that is prescribed a preventer inhaler meet the eligibility criteria for a funded influenza vaccination regardless of whether or not they routinely collect the inhaler, i.e. are adherent with treatment. They acknowledge that there may be barriers resulting in some people with respiratory conditions not collecting their preventer inhaler but that this does not affect their eligibility to receive a funded influenza vaccine.
  • hypertension and/or dyslipidaemia without evidence of end-organ disease.

Also refer to the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule on the PHARMAC website www.pharmac.govt.nz/tools-resources/pharmaceutical-schedule/community

a. Chronic respiratory diseases may include: chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, emphysema.
b. Autoimmune diseases may include: coeliac disease, Crohns disease, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis:
    Immune suppression or immune deficiency includes diseases modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) or targeted biologic therapies.
c. Neuromuscular and CNS diseases/disorders include: celebral palsy, congenital myopathy, epilepsy, hydrocephaly, motor neurone disease,
    multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury.
d. Haemoglobinopathies including: sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia.

As per https://www.influenza.org.nz/2022-influenza-vaccines 25/03/2022