Downloads
AUSVAXSAFETY summary report 2020: Older adults infographic
We aim to provide documents in an accessible format. If you're having problems using a document with your accessibility tools, please contact us for help.
Older adults receive vaccines for pneumococcal disease and shingles, either together or at separate times. Prevenar 13 replaced Pneumovax 23 as the pneumococcal vaccine on the National Immunisation Program from 1 July 2020.
For older adults who received pneumococcal vaccine (Prevenar 13):
10,403 older adults responded to an SMS about their health a few days after their vaccination. 93% reported no adverse events. 7% reported any adverse event, including 0.2% who reported visiting a doctor or emergency department in the days after vaccination. The adverse events they reported were similar to the types of adverse events reported overall. 687 older adults reported one or more adverse events. The most commonly reported were injection site pain (238 reports), injection site swelling or redness (153 reports), tiredness (149 reports), headache (99 reports) and sleep pattern change (58 reports). These symptoms are known to occur after vaccination. They are generally mild and short-lived. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who received these vaccines had the same rates and types of adverse events as other older adults.
For older adults who received shingles vaccine:
6,625 older adults responded to an SMS about their health a few days after their vaccination. 92% reported no adverse events. 8% reported any adverse event, including 0.3% who reported visiting a doctor or emergency department in the days after vaccination. The adverse events they reported were similar to the types of adverse events reported overall. 526 older adults reported one or more adverse events. The most commonly reported were injection site swelling or redness (182 reports), injection site pain (154 reports), tiredness (112 reports), headache (87 reports) and sleep pattern change (42 reports). These symptoms are known to occur after vaccination. They are generally mild and short-lived. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who received these vaccines had the same rates and types of adverse events as other older adults.
Vaccines given to older adults in 2020 are Prevenar 13 (protects against pneumococcal disease) and Zostavax (protects against shingles).