St Vincent's administers Australia's first RSV vaccine You are here:HomeNewsroomNews St Vincent's administers Australia's first RSV vaccine 29 Feb 2024 Last month the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the first Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine, for Australians aged 60 and over. The vaccine offers protection against lower airway infection caused by RSV, a highly contagious virus. Large scale clinical trials showed that the vaccine was 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease and 94% effective in preventing significant lung infection. Causing cold and flu-like symptoms, RSV can be a serious condition for older adults, especially those with underlying health conditions. "Every year there are well over 10,000 people hospitalised with RSV and sadly a proportion of those, well over 100 patients will die every year," St Vincent's Cardiologist Prof Jason Kovacic said. This week, the first RSV vaccine in Australia was administered here at St Vincent’s, to heart transplant patient Keith Forrest. All Australians over 60 are now eligible to get the jab, with a private script from their GP. .