Medimobile is a medical practice operating throughout Australia and New Zealand that offers onsite, workplace Influenza (flu) vaccinations. We were founded by Dr Kirsten Baulch MBBS FRACGP in 2003, and Dr Baulch remains as our Medical Director to the present day. We have delivered over 2 million flu vaccinations and currently vaccinate up to 250,000 people per year throughout all metropolitan and regional areas of Australia, making us the largest provider of workplace flu vaccination services in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our customers are businesses and government departments across Australia and New Zealand who wish to protect their employees from flu.
Our customers pay the costs of our nurses visiting their workplace, as well as the cost of the vaccines. As per the legislation, none of the cost of an employer-initiated health initiative can be billed to Medicare.
We employ approximately 200 Immunisation Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and registered Doctors who work within our team and travel to workplaces and clinics in cities, towns and remote communities to bring a high quality, personalised service to businesses of any size in any location.
- Australia’s leading provider – Over 10 years’ experience specialising exclusively in workplace flu programs
- Australia’s largest workforce of Nurse Immunisers, Nurse Practitioners, and Doctors offers you choice and redundancy that no other provider can offer
- The most highly qualified team – Operated by our Medical Director who is supported by a team of over 200 Nurse Immunisers and eleven General Practitioners providing free telephone medical advice to your employees via our medical advice hotline
- Highly developed bespoke online booking system, MediBooking and online flu management portal, MediPortal provides a service of unparalleled ease and reliability for your organisation
- Free mobile app (Medimobile App) offering a world-first educational experience, enhanced booking features and online Flu Medical Certificates for your employees
- Registered and insured in all States, Territories and regions to ensure the highest level of compliance with all legislation governing the operation of workplace flu programs
- Trusted by over 4000 businesses annually to deliver a quality medical service, on time, with the highest level of care
- The best service. The finest care. Experience the Medimobile difference.
This year Australia will again offer an adjuvanted quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (QIV) – Fluad® Quad.
This adjuvant flu vaccine is a quadrivalent (4-strain) flu vaccine available under the government’s National Immunisation Program (NIP) and is only suitable for individuals aged 65 years and above. An adjuvant is an ingredient added to a vaccine that helps create a stronger immune response to vaccination.
Due to Fluad® Quad flu vaccine only being available under the NIP, not available for private purchase and not suitable for individuals under 65 years of age, Medimobile is unable to supply or administer this type of flu vaccine. If you are aged 65+, we suggest you see your GP to access this higher immunogenicity flu vaccine.
It is important for all individuals in this age group (65+ years) to be vaccinated and therefore if any individual aged 65+ are unlikely to attend their GP to receive this higher immunogenicity flu vaccine it is recommended that they proceed with one of the quadrivalent Influenza vaccines Medimobile is able to provide to ensure that they are vaccinated.
The higher immunogenicity flu vaccine provides coverage against the same 4 influenza strains included in the standard quadrivalent vaccines for under 65 year olds.
Medimobile’s workplace Covid-19
Given each employee will have had their primary course doses and boosters on different dates between March 2021 to the present, the optimal timing of each employees’ subsequent booster is very varied. This presents a challenge to scheduling a workplace vaccination clinic, because many employees will be overdue for their vaccination by the date of the clinic, or it will be too early for others. There are also specifics on who may or may not be eligible based on age and health status.
We, therefore, recommend that employees, for now, have COVID boosters at their GP, a vaccination hub, or a pharmacy when it falls due. Thereafter, if annual Covid-19 boosters are recommended, workplace clinics could be scheduled to offer maximal, timely protection and convenience to the majority of employees.
About Covid-19 Boosters
Third dose or “first booster” Covid-19 vaccinations are recommended from 3 months after a person had their second dose. People aged 50 and over, and those at greater risk of severe illness, are recommended to have a fourth dose or “second booster” from 3 months after the first booster. People aged 30 – 49 can also get a fourth dose (second booster) if they choose.
The purpose of the booster doses are to mitigate against waning immunity to the SARS-COV-2 Coronavirus and the emergence of new variants. Evidence on the benefits and risks of booster doses is still limited but supports the benefit and safety of booster vaccination, particularly in high-risk groups.
Given the current variation in eligibility between demographics both on timing and the number of vaccinations recommended, this presents a challenge to scheduling a workplace vaccination clinic.
Medimobile therefore presently recommends that employers encourage their employees to seek their booster doses from a GP clinic, vaccination hub or pharmacy on or soon after the date it falls due.
We will continue to monitor the developments of the evidence informing the timing of booster doses, and the suitability of booster clinics for the workplace setting.
TIMING BETWEEN Covid-19 VACCINATION & FLU VACCINATION
Previously it was recommended to wait 7 days between your COVID vaccine and receiving any other vaccination however new evidence demonstrates the safety and immunogenicity of co-administration of COVID and flu vaccines. There is no need to wait for an interval between receiving your influenza vaccine and your COVID vaccine.
The new cell-based flu vaccine has similar effectiveness to all other quadrivalent flu vaccines used by Medimobile. Given its significantly higher price, and equivalent effectiveness, Medimobile will not offer this particular vaccine in our 2024 workplace programs.
References:
Bruxvoort KJ, Luo Y, Ackerson B, et al. Comparison of vaccine effectiveness against influenza hospitalization of cell-based and egg-based influenza vaccines, 2017-2018. Vaccine 2019;37:5807-1
DeMarcus L, Shoubaki L, Federinko S. Comparing influenza vaccine effectiveness between cell-derived and egg-derived vaccines, 2017-2018 influenza season. Vaccine 2019;37:4015- 21.