Getting the flu vaccine helps protect both you and the people around you. It’s particularly important to protect vulnerable people in our community who can’t be vaccinated, such as babies who are younger than 6 months.1

Who is at risk of getting the flu?

• Young children
• Pregnant women
• Aged 65 years and older
• Indigenous Australians
• Those with chronic medical conditions

If you are in any of these categories you are likely to qualify for the National Immunisation Program and gain your vaccination for a reduced fee of $24.95 non member, $22.46 UFS member. 

Yes it is. The stock provided to pharmacies and the stock provided to doctor’s clinics is the same formulation.

The standard fee of the flu vaccination service is $29.95* from Bendigo UFS and Bendigo UFS members will receive a 10% discount.  

*Bendigo UFS Members 10% discount applies

The National Immunisation Program (NIP) was Commonwealth and State governments to reduce the number of cases of diseases that are preventable by vaccination. The program provides free vaccines to eligible people. Eligible persons include

• People 65 years and over
• Pregnant women (at any stage during pregnancy)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and over
• Children 6 months to less than 5 years
• People 6 months and over with certain medical conditions

Bendigo UFS Pharmacies will provide to eligible patients a free NIP vaccine however a $24.95* service fee applies. Eligible NIP patients are also able to go to their local GP and have the vaccination bulk billed at no cost.

*Bendigo UFS Members 10% discount applies

Yes we do! The vaccine is Australian Government funded for those aged 65 and over so your doctor may be able to provide this to you bulk-billed. If not, we have plenty of stock available now.

What is a walk-in and are they available?

A walk-in vaccination is when you haven’t pre-booked an appointment for your vaccination and simply walked into our pharmacy. Bendigo UFS Pharmacies are currently NOT PROVIDING walk-in appointments. We suggest you make an appointment via the booking links on this page.

While the early symptoms of the seasonal flu and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be similar — fever and cough, for example — and they are transmitted the same way, there are some key differences.

Influenza typically has a shorter incubation period (the time from the infection to when symptoms appear) than COVID-19, which means influenza can spread faster. For more comparisons, visit the World Health Organisation website here.3456

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommend that flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine are now able to be administered on the same day. 

The influenza vaccine is grown in eggs. But the traces of egg protein that remain after the vaccine is made are so tiny that the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says both adults and children with egg allergy can be safely vaccinated against the flu. The risk of anaphylaxis in response to the vaccine is very low, estimated at 1.35 cases per 1 million doses.

It is rare for people with egg allergy to experience other adverse effects, such as hives, wheezing, vomiting or abdominal pain, after getting the flu shot. If you’re  concerned, ask your immuniser if you, or your child, can be observed by staff for 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine, instead of the recommended 15 minutes.[1]

[1] https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/flu-vaccine-faqs

No, the flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. All flu vaccines used in Australia are ‘inactivated’, which means they do not contain the live flu virus and so you can’t catch the flu from the vaccine.

Some people may experience side effects which may include fever, tiredness and muscle aches. These side effects can start within a few hours of you being vaccinated and sometimes last for 1 or 2 days. They usually go away on their own, once your body has developed an immune response to the vaccine, which will protect you from the flu virus.

It’s important to remember that the side effects show the vaccine is triggering an immune response, which is what it’s designed to do.[1]

[1] https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/flu-vaccine-faq

Becoming a member is easy. Either sign up today in store or visit bendigoufs.com.au/membership to become a member online. You’ll instantly be able to experience the benefits across Bendigo UFS Pharmacies, Bendigo UFS Optical and Eden Skin & Body.

Bendigo UFS Pharmacies charges $29.95 for the flu vaccination. UFS members gain 10% discount. 

Bendigo UFS Pharmacies also provides the National Immunisation Program and is eligible to the following criteria for $24.95. UFS members gain 10% discount. 

The National Immunisation Program applies to:

– people aged 6 months to less than 5 years

– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older

– pregnant women (at any stage of pregnancy)

– people aged 65 years and older

– people aged 6 months and older with the following risk conditions putting them at increased risk of severe influenza and its complications:

• cardiac disease
• chronic respiratory conditions
• chronic neurological conditions
• immunocompromising conditions
• diabetes and other metabolic disorders
• renal disease
• haematological disorders
• children aged 6 months to 10 years on long term aspirin therapy.
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NOTE: Children aged under 9 years receiving their influenza vaccination for the first time require 2 doses of vaccine, spaced by a minimum of 1 month.