Free RSV vaccines to be rolled out at WA aged-care homes to beat winter crunch in State first

Around 15,000 free doses of the RSV vaccine are set to be rolled out at WA aged-care homes ahead of winter.

For the first time vaccines for the respiratory syncytial virus will be free for those 65 and over in residential aged care homes through a $2.6 million State-first program.

It mirrors a program introduced last year where the vaccine - which currently costs around $300 to buy - was free for infants and people over 28 weeks pregnant, others considered the most vulnerable in society.

According to the Government, less than one per cent of people over 60 received the vaccine last year.

But about 25 per cent of people over 65 who contracted RSV in 2025 ended up in hospital.

In 2025, WA reported 12,804 RSV cases.

Juniper Aged Care chief executive Russell Bricknell said the disease hits the sector hard.

“RSV substantially impacted a number of residential homes, we had home closures around COVID outbreaks, but more often around RSV outbreaks,” he said.

“It’s becoming more prevalent in the community, if you’re frail, if your immune system is exposed, it then has a fairly significant impact, which often ends up in hospital and that’s not what we want.”

Aged Care Minister Simone McGurk said she hoped increased vaccine uptake would help free capacity in hospitals.

“From a State Government point of view, something that we’re very focused on is making sure we can protect people from getting ill, or if they do get ill, not as seriously affected,” she said.

“Then obviously keeping people out of hospitals and freeing up capacity there.”

The announcement comes as the Cook Government continues to chase its goal of putting five per cent of health expenditure into preventative health.

While preventative, Health Minister Sabine Winton said they were only currently just above half of the target, she argued they were on track to reach it by the goal of 2029.

“At the moment, we’re about 2.7 per cent on a glide path and I think the sustainable health review said we should try and meet that target by 2029 so we’re well on our way,” she said.

“As I said before, investment is important but we also have to have a shared understanding and agreement with experts, evidence based, around what are the key areas of preventative health that we continue to invest in.

“That’s a really key part of my role in terms of not only increasingly investing in preventative health, but making sure that it’s targeted and strategic.”