Winter Vaccinations in Ireland: Flu, COVID and Pneumonia

If you follow British news as well as Irish, the vaccination advice you hear every autumn is a muddle of two different systems. The good news for anyone living in Ireland is that the Irish rules are more generous and rather easier to remember. 💚

There are three winter vaccines worth knowing about, and this is who gets each one free.

1. The flu vaccine: free from 60

In Ireland, the flu vaccine is free for everyone aged 60 and older. Not 65, and not conditional on having a health problem. Sixty.

This is worth stating plainly because the UK threshold is 65, and a great many people in Ireland read British newspapers or watch British television and assume the same applies here. It does not. If you are 62 and healthy, you are entitled to a free flu vaccine in Ireland and would not be in England.

You also qualify free, at any age, if you:

• Have a health condition that puts you at higher risk, from age 6 months upwards
• Live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility
• Are pregnant
• Are a healthcare worker
• Live with someone at higher risk from flu
• Are a carer for someone at higher risk
• Are in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl

The at-risk conditions include chronic heart, liver, kidney and respiratory disease, COPD, cystic fibrosis, moderate or severe asthma, diabetes and other metabolic disorders, chronic neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, Down syndrome, inherited blood disorders, cancer, a weakened immune system, serious mental health conditions, and a BMI over 40.

Simple action: If you are 60 or over, you qualify. There is nothing to check and no form to fill in.

2. The COVID vaccine: also 60

Ireland sets the COVID booster at the same age as the flu vaccine. Everyone aged 60 and older is recommended to have one, along with anyone from 6 months upwards who has an underlying medical condition or a weakened immune system.

This is the part that differs most from the UK, where the COVID booster is restricted to people aged 75 and over. In Ireland the two programmes line up, which removes the confusion about qualifying for one but not the other.

Both vaccines are free from participating GPs and pharmacies, and they can be given at the same visit or at any interval you prefer. There is no need to space them out.

💡 Tip: If you would rather not have two injections in one sitting, you can space them however you like with no loss of protection. But if you are someone who tends to put off a second trip, having both at once is the version that actually gets done.

3. The pneumococcal vaccine: 65, and not annual

This is the one people have usually never heard of, and it protects against pneumococcal disease, which can lead to pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. You will sometimes hear it called the pneumonia vaccine. The adult version is called PPV23.

It is free through your GP if you are 65 or older, or aged 2 or over and in an at-risk group. It may also be free through a pharmacy if you are 65 or older.

The at-risk groups include people with diabetes, chronic lung, heart, liver or kidney disease, chronic neurological conditions, coeliac disease, Down syndrome, cochlear implants, a weakened immune system, problems with the spleen, cerebrospinal fluid leaks or a brain shunt.

Unlike flu, this is not something most people need every year. How many doses you need depends on your age and your health, so it is a question worth putting to your GP rather than assuming either way.

It can be given at the same time as the flu or COVID vaccine.

Simple action: If you are 65 or over, ask at your next flu appointment whether you have ever had the pneumococcal vaccine. Most people do not know.

4. Where to go and what to bring

You can get vaccinated at your GP surgery or at a participating pharmacy. If you live in a nursing home, or you are housebound, you can be vaccinated where you live.

Bring your PPS number. You will be asked for it at the appointment if you are getting a free vaccine, and not having it to hand is the most common cause of a wasted trip.

If you have a medical card or GP visit card, the consultation is free as well as the vaccine.

If you do not qualify for a free vaccine, you can still have one at a pharmacy or GP and pay for it.

💡 Tip: Pharmacies are usually quicker to get into than GP surgeries in October and November, and for a straightforward vaccination there is no clinical difference. If your surgery is booked out into December, try the pharmacy before you accept a late date.

5. When to go

The flu vaccine is available from October to April, and the sensible time is early in that window rather than late.

The vaccine takes about two weeks to become effective, and one dose protects you for the whole season. Getting it in October means you are covered before flu is circulating widely. Getting it in January means spending the highest-risk weeks unprotected.

You need the flu vaccine every year. The antibodies fade over time, and the strains circulating change from one winter to the next, so last year's protection does not carry over.

Mild side effects are normal: a sore arm, sometimes a mild temperature or aches for a day. The vaccine cannot give you flu.

6. If you look after someone

Carers qualify for a free flu vaccine in Ireland regardless of age. The HSE defines a carer as someone providing an ongoing, significant level of care to a person who needs it at home because of illness, disability or frailty.

You do not need to be receiving Carer's Allowance, and you do not need any formal recognition. Saying so at the pharmacy or surgery is normally enough.

None of these three vaccines takes more than a few minutes, and between them they cover most of what puts older people in hospital over an Irish winter. If you are 60 or over, two of them are already yours for the asking. 💛

If you are unsure what you are entitled to, call HSELive free on 1800 700 700 or check HSE.ie.

If you do not have a medical card and think you might qualify, our guide to the Irish Medical Card explains how to apply, and our checklist of free benefits for over-60s in Ireland covers what else comes with reaching 60 and 66. With winter heating costs in mind, our guide to the Fuel Allowance explains a payment worth applying for before the season starts. If you are in the UK rather than Ireland, our guide to the flu jab for over-60s covers the rather different rules there. Browse more Una guides for plain English help with staying well in later life.