Australians were getting this vaccine for free. Now they could pay up to $180

Australians could now pay anywhere up to $180 for a COVID-19 vaccination, depending on which pharmacy they attend, with one retailer telling SBS News it was unlikely to stock it at all.

On 1 October, the COVID-19 vaccine was moved into the routine National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule, replacing the standalone National COVID-19 Vaccine Program established during the pandemic that offered free jabs.

While the NIP will continue to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for at-risk cohorts, such as older Australians and severely immunocompromised people, those who are ineligible will have to pay an out-of-pocket cost to get the jab.

With no nationally set price, vaccination providers have discretion to set costs for those ineligible under the NIP.

SBS News identified significant price differences across Australian pharmacies, with one TerryWhite Chemmart outlet charging $120 while consumers were paying $179.99 at Chemist Warehouse stores Australia-wide.

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A spokesperson from Priceline Pharmacies told SBS News that, as each of its outlets was independently owned and operated, the decision to offer COVID-19 vaccinations and set their prices was made on a store-by-store basis.

One Priceline store in Sydney's CBD quoted the private cost of the vaccine at $130.

Another in the Melbourne CBD said that, while they weren't currently offering the vaccine for people not covered by the NIP, they were expecting to charge a price similar to Chemist Warehouse's $179.99.

Another nearby Priceline store said that, due to the wholesale cost, it was unlikely to stock the private vaccine.

A spokesperson for Terry White Chemmart wasn't available to comment, but SBS News identified that prices for the shot across the chain's locations ranged from $120 in Melbourne CBD to $170 in central Adelaide.

Anna Theophilos, who owns a TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacy, told SBS News that the high wholesale price for the private vaccine meant pharmacists would make "business decisions" based on demand, including whether to stock the vaccine.

Theophilos, who is also the inaugural national vaccination ambassador at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, said minimum order requirements and the expiration date of current stock were key issues.

"The current vaccine has a short expiry date of February, which is contributing to the hesitation," she told SBS News.