Call for free flu jabs to stop SA deaths
Fewer South Australians are rolling up their sleeves for the flu jab, with the state opposition raising concerns over the number of people who have died from the disease this year.
Sixteen people have died of influenza in South Australia this year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, with data also showing fewer people had received their flu jab from March 1 to April 19 compared to 2025.
The data did not include those who had died from respiratory syncytial virus, and SA Health data supplied by the state government disputed figures, showing there were six deaths this year.
Among the states and territories with available data, South Australia had the nation’s highest death rate in the first three months of the year, according to data from the ABS.
A rate of 0.8385 per 100,000 people died from the illness in 2026 so far, according to the ABS data.
This compares to 28 deaths in New South Wales, 35 in Victoria, 35 in Queensland, six in Western Australia and zero in the Australian Capital Territory, per ABS data.
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Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn claimed the state’s hospitals were “already at breaking point” and called on the government to make vaccines free for all South Australians before winter hits.
“More people are dying, and fewer people are protecting themselves from the flu, which is a worrying trend that the government must urgently address,” Hurn said.
“We need every line of defence up and running to protect the health system, which is already under extraordinary stress.”
The ABS noted that the data included respiratory death registrations only and that numbers would differ from disease surveillance systems.
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It said the data included all deaths, including those certified by a doctor or coroner, that were registered by March 31, 2026.
Data also showed that fewer people have received a flu jab – with 203,210 South Australians rolling up their sleeves from March 1 to April 19 compared to 256,340 in 2025, according to the federal Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
It comes after 148 South Australians died of the illness in 2025, according to ABS data, which translated to 7.7 deaths per 100,000 people – the highest amount of any mainland state.
Health and Wellbeing Minister Blair Boyer recently introduced no-needle vaccines to combat influenza among children aged two to five.
“Vaccinating children early against the flu can play a really important role in preventing severe illness and reducing avoidable hospital admissions during the winter months,” he said.
Today, Boyer told InDaily that “vaccination needs to be annual, as the virus can change”.
“Providing free and accessible influenza vaccines for those most at risk ensures South Australians can protect themselves and their loved ones, regardless of age or circumstance,” he said.
Through the National Immunisation Program, the injectable flu vaccine is already free for about 600,000 South Australians, including children between six months and five years, people aged 65 years and over, pregnant women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with specific health conditions.
“As Health Minister, the declining rate in overall vaccinations, not just flu, is absolutely a worry to me and something I will make a priority – I have already raised this as an issue with the Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier,” Boyer said.
Shadow Health and Wellbeing Minister Jack Batty said free flu shots were “simple, effective and overdue”.
“We just had a horror flu season – and I am worried we are sleepwalking into the next one,” he said.
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