How to be COVID safe this winter

Stay well this winter: COVID-19 winter booster

From July 2022, COVID-19 winter boosters are available and strongly recommended for everyone aged 50 years and over, in addition to your first COVID-19 booster. People aged 30 years and over can also get an additional winter booster if they want to.

Please encourage your community to maximise their protection against serious illness this winter by booking an appointment, or finding a walk-in, near them as soon as possible. If they’ve had COVID-19, they can get a booster three months after leaving self-isolation.

Vaccinations are available from GPs and pharmacies. There are thousands of locations across NSW. The COVID-19 and flu vaccines can be given at the same time.

COVID-19 antivirals

Antivirals are medicines that target the virus that causes COVID-19 to help stop it infecting healthy cells in your body and multiplying. This means people are less likely to get very sick and go to hospital. Antivirals are only prescribed to eligible people who have tested positive to COVID-19 with a rapid antigen test (RAT) or PCR (nose and throat swab) test. They work best if taken within 5 days from the start of symptoms. But they are not a substitute for a COVID-19 vaccination.

Eligible people for antivirals include:

Everyone aged 70 years and older
People aged 50 years and older with two or more risk factors for severe disease
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 30 years and older with two or more risk factors for severe illness.
Immunocompromised people over 18 may also be eligible.

Please speak to your doctor now if you are at higher risk of severe illness, so that if you do get COVID-19, you have a plan ready.

COVID-19 reinfection period

Evidence shows that with the new Omicron subvariants (BA.4 and BA.5) circulating in the community, people who have had COVID-19 previously can get it again sooner. This is why the testing and self-isolation period was reduced from 12 weeks down to 4 weeks in New South Wales.

It is now recommended to wait 3 months after infection to receive your next COVID-19 vaccine, which will reinforce your protection at the best time.

COVID-19 & flu resources

Please read on to find the latest COVID-19 resources in-language to share with your community.

All the latest information can be found at nsw.gov.au.

If you require a free telephone interpreter to assist you with COVID-19, call the National Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 020 080 and choose Option 8.