New report re-affirms short-term safety of vaccines in Australia

The newly published Vaccine Safety in Australia AusVaxSafety summary report examining the short-term safety profile of National Immunisation Program (NIP)-funded and COVID-19 vaccines used in Australia in 2023 has confirmed the safety profile for vaccines monitored by AusVaxSafety throughout the year.

The report analysed close to 500,000 responses from individuals who received a vaccine in 2023 and who completed an AusVaxSafety survey asking about their health in the days following vaccination.

The findings show most adverse events after vaccination in 2023 – including local injection site reactions and systemic symptoms such as fatigue – were mild and went away within a few days.

The 2023 results align with AusVaxSafety data collected in previous years and with findings from similar active safety surveillance systems abroad, such as the V-safe program in the United States, confirming the short-term safety of NIP and COVID-19 vaccines administered in Australia has remained stable over time.

The AusVaxSafety summary report – released annually via the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website – features detailed vaccine safety data infographics on COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines given at each schedule point on the NIP.

These infographics are an excellent resource for healthcare providers to use when counselling patients on the short-term safety of vaccines used in Australia and can also help individuals when planning for vaccination.

AusVaxSafety continues to frequently gather and publish in-depth data on the safety of vaccines currently in use in Australia.

Access the summary report