Part of the GP Vaccine Hub — all immunisation tools & NIP updates.
👩⚕️ Clinical reference for health professionals. This page summarises published clinical guidance and is not medical advice. Patients and members of the public: please don’t use this to make decisions about your own care — talk to your GP, pharmacist or treating team.
✅ Now in effect: COVID-19 vaccines moved to the NIP on 1 October 2026. The stand-alone National COVID-19 Vaccine Program (NCVP) has been replaced by the National Immunisation Program (NIP); funded vaccination is limited to defined groups and ATAGI's updated recommendations apply (ATAGI statement, 7 September 2026). The Department of Health advised that the Australian Immunisation Handbook COVID-19 chapter updates on 1 October 2026 — check it for the latest detail. See the dedicated section below.
⚠️ Tier 2 — use clinical judgement. COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and funding are evolving. Always verify at immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au before clinical decisions. Page last reviewed August 2026.
ATAGI dosing intervals by age/risk, the 1 October 2026 NIP transition, current brands, co-administration, and when to use the share-with-patient link.
🇦🇺 AUATAGI / AIHAugust 2026
📋 Sources — reviewed August 2026: 1. Dept of Health — COVID-19 vaccine moving to the NIP (current funded groups). health.gov.au ↗ 1a. ATAGI — Statement on transition of COVID-19 vaccines to the NIP (issued 7 September 2026). health.gov.au (PDF) ↗ 1b. Dept of Health — COVID-19 NIP transition: Program advice for health professionals. health.gov.au (PDF) ↗ 2. Australian Immunisation Handbook — COVID-19 chapter. immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au ↗ 3. TGA — Australian Product Information: Comirnaty, Spikevax and Nuvaxovid. tga.gov.au ↗ 4. NCIRS — COVID-19 vaccination fact sheets. ncirs.org.au ↗ 5. Dept of Health — COVID-19 monitoring and reporting. health.gov.au ↗ Editorial independence: This page was written and fact-checked independently by AskMyGP. No pharmaceutical company has had editorial input into, reviewed, or approved this content, and none has requested or received brand preference. All three registered COVID-19 vaccines are described with equal prominence per ATAGI guidance. See our Editorial Independence & Funding policy.
Quick answer
Who is your patient?
⚡ Full reference — ATAGI recommendations and NIP funding from 1 Oct 2026
Recommend 2 doses each year (about 6 months apart)
✅ Free — NCVP
✅ Free — NIP (2 funded doses/year)
Adults 65–74 years, no medical risk conditions
Recommend 1 dose each year (a second annual dose is no longer advised for this group)
✅ Free — NCVP
✅ Free — NIP (1 funded dose/year)
Adults 65–74 years with medical risk conditions or severe immunocompromise
Recommend 1 dose each year; can consider a second annual dose (about 6 months apart)
✅ Free — NCVP
✅ 1 funded dose/year — the “consider” dose is not funded (private purchase)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults 50–74 years
Recommend 1 dose each year; with medical risk conditions or severe immunocompromise, can consider a second annual dose
✅ Free — NCVP
✅ 1 funded dose/year — any “consider” second dose is not funded
Adults 18–64 years with severe immunocompromise
Recommend 1 dose each year; can consider a second annual dose
✅ Free — NCVP
✅ 1 funded dose/year — the “consider” dose is not funded
Adults 18–64 years without severe immunocompromise (with or without medical risk conditions; non-ATSI, or ATSI outside 50–74)
Consider 1 dose each year
✅ Free — NCVP
❌ Not funded — private purchase
ℹ️ Source and currency. This table follows the ATAGI statement on transition of COVID-19 vaccines to the NIP (issued 7 September 2026). ATAGI states that all “recommended” doses are NIP-funded and all “consider” doses are not, and that people outside the funded groups may purchase the vaccine privately after a risk–benefit discussion with their healthcare provider. Definitions of medical risk conditions and severe immunocompromise sit in the Australian Immunisation Handbook COVID-19 chapter, which the Department advised would update on 1 October 2026 — check it before relying on this table for an individual patient.
mRNA vaccine. ATAGI (7 Sep 2026) states the current COVID-19 vaccine available for use is Comirnaty LP.8.1; the NIP Schedule (Oct 2026) lists Comirnaty as the funded vaccine. Private supply: availability and pricing are set by suppliers; confirm the formulation (LP.8.1 per ATAGI) when ordering.
Spikevax (Moderna)
mRNA vaccine. TGA-registered product — check availability through your state/territory NIP ordering.
Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
Protein-based vaccine. TGA-registered product — check availability through your state/territory NIP ordering.
Formulations are updated periodically to target circulating variants; check the current TGA Product Information and your state/territory supply for the brands and formulation available to you.
✓ATAGI: can be co-administered with any other vaccine for people aged ≥5 years (e.g. influenza, RSV, pneumococcal) — same visit, different sites
✓Can be co-administered with RSV vaccines (Arexvy/Abrysvo)
✓Can be co-administered with pneumococcal vaccines
⚠Use separate injection sites when multiple vaccines given at the same visit
📢 The 1 October 2026 NIP transition — what changed
srcDept of Health; ATAGI statement, 7 Sep 2026
From 1 October 2026 COVID-19 vaccines are funded under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), replacing the stand-alone National COVID-19 Vaccine Program (NCVP).
Funded groups: all adults 75+ (2 doses/year), adults 65–74 (1 dose/year), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50–74 (1 dose/year) and adults 18–64 with severe immunocompromise (1 dose/year).
ATAGI: all “recommended” doses are NIP-funded; all “consider” doses are not. People outside the funded groups may purchase privately following a risk–benefit discussion with their healthcare provider.
Recommendation changes (ATAGI): adults 65–74 without medical risk conditions are now recommended one dose a year (a second annual dose was previously a “consider”); Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults 50–74 with medical risk conditions are recommended one dose a year and can consider a second; a dose may be considered from 20 weeks’ gestation in each pregnancy.
Ordering, distribution, reporting and program support move to state/territory NIP arrangements. All vaccinations must be recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
ATAGI also notes there is no recommended minimum interval between a COVID-19 infection and a vaccine dose.
Medical risk conditions — Handbook example table
The Australian Immunisation Handbook lists these example conditions associated with increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. The table is not exhaustive, and providers should use their judgement to vaccinate people with conditions not listed. These are the conditions behind ATAGI’s “medical risk conditions” wording above (for example, whether a second annual dose can be considered at 65–74).
Immunocompromising condition
Immunocompromise due to disease or treatment, asplenia or splenic dysfunction, HIV infection, malignancy, solid organ transplant, haematopoietic stem cell transplant, CAR T-cell therapy. Individuals with severe immunocompromise are recommended additional COVID-19 vaccine doses (see the Handbook table of medical conditions, immunosuppressive therapy and associated levels of immunocompromise).
Severe asthma (requiring frequent medical consultations or the use of multiple medications), cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, suppurative lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic emphysema
Chronic neurological condition
Hereditary and degenerative CNS disease, seizure disorder, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disorder, conditions which impair respiratory or airway function