Vaccinations in Vaud: adult catch-up, flu, COVID and measles
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How adults new to Vaud can check and complete their vaccinations: the Swiss vaccination schedule, where to get vaccinated (GP, pharmacy, EPFL Point Santé, Unisanté), flu and COVID in autumn, measles catch-up, and what basic health insurance (LAMal) pays. Orientation only, not medical advice: a doctor or pharmacist checks your own record.
Key facts
- The schedule: the Plan de vaccination suisse 2026 from the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP/BAG) and the Federal Commission for Vaccinations. Chapter 2 covers catch-up for unvaccinated adults (Table 2). Published 23.02.2026, corrected version 16.04.2026.
- Bring your vaccination record (booklet or certificate from home) to any appointment.
- Where: your GP, a vaccinating pharmacy, the EPFL Point Santé (EPFL students and doctoral students), or Unisanté in Lausanne.
- Flu and COVID: vaccination from mid-October; for COVID, vd.ch gives mid-October to end of December as the best period. Both can be given the same day (vd.ch).
- Measles: two doses of MMR (ROR) protect for life (OFSP). At the EPFL Point Santé, the MMR vaccination is free.
- LAMal: since 1 January 2026, vaccinations in the Swiss vaccination plan and the related advice are paid by basic insurance without the franchise (OPAS art. 12a para. 4, vd.ch). The rule waives only the franchise: the 10% co-payment (quote-part) is still due (Unisanté). Travel vaccines are at your own cost.
1. The Swiss schedule and adult catch-up
The OFSP publishes the schedule every year. It lists:
- basic vaccinations recommended for children, teenagers and adults,
- complementary vaccinations,
- vaccinations for risk groups and situations.
For adults who were never vaccinated, or whose status is unknown, chapter 2 of the plan gives catch-up schemes (Table 2), for example for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis with polio (dT(pa)-IPV). Which doses you need depends on what you already had, so bring your record and let the doctor or pharmacist decide.
Your vaccination record: keep your paper booklet or certificate. If you were vaccinated at Unisanté, its routine consultation can give you a duplicate of your booklet. For an electronic copy, you can keep your vaccinations in the electronic patient record (dossier électronique du patient, DEP): you may upload a scan or PDF of your booklet yourself (eHealth Suisse, dossierpatient.ch). The federal government plans to replace the DEP with an electronic health record (DES), probably from 2030 (OFSP, 5 Nov 2025).
2. Where to get vaccinated in Vaud
| Where | What | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your GP | All schedule vaccinations | Billed to LAMal; see GP and pharmacy to find a doctor |
| Vaccinating pharmacy | Flu, COVID and other vaccines depending on the pharmacy | vd.ch: pharmacies vaccinate; with a medical prescription the vaccine is billed to LAMal without franchise, but basic insurance never pays the act of vaccinating in a pharmacy: you pay it on site (amount set by the pharmacy). Without a prescription you pay the vaccine too (FOPH, Prise en charge des coûts des vaccinations) |
| EPFL Point Santé (nurses, campus) | Update of basic vaccinations | For EPFL students and doctoral students, by appointment. Vaccines are charged, except MMR and HPV under certain conditions (EPFL does not detail them; under the Vaud cantonal programme, HPV vaccination by a doctor is paid by basic insurance from your 11th birthday to the day before your 27th, vd.ch). Monday to Friday 9:00 to 11:30 and 12:30 to 16:30, +41 21 693 20 02 |
| Unisanté (Lausanne, Biopôle) | Routine vaccination, flu and COVID, travel vaccines | Routine: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, tick-borne encephalitis, hepatitis B, measles, HPV, chickenpox, shingles. Booking online |
| Pôles and réseaux de santé, EHC Morges | COVID (per vd.ch) | Listed by vd.ch for COVID |
Which pharmacies vaccinate? Not every pharmacy does. Since 21 June 2024 the authorisation to vaccinate is given to the pharmacy (as part of its operating licence), and the cantonal pharmacist publishes the list of vaccines pharmacies may give, not a list of pharmacies (État de Vaud, News Pharmacienne cantonale). Pharmacy vaccination is for people aged 16 and over (Conseil d'Etat, 2018; eligibility unchanged in 2024). Ask your pharmacy or phone before going (To verify: no official list of vaccinating pharmacies is published).
Travel: Unisanté's travel consultation updates your vaccines and advises on risks abroad. Unisanté states that travel consultations and travel vaccines are at your own cost, paid on site by card or Twint (no cash); prices are in its price list.
3. Flu and COVID
- Who: the OFSP coordinates the national flu programme; vaccination especially protects vulnerable people (older people, pregnant women, people with chronic illness or weak immunity) and those around them (vd.ch).
- When: flu from mid-October; COVID best from mid-October to end of December, and at least 6 months after your last dose or a confirmed infection (vd.ch).
- Same day: flu, COVID and RSV vaccines are compatible and can be given the same day, on two different arms (vd.ch).
- Where: your doctor or a pharmacy (vd.ch); Unisanté also vaccinates against flu and COVID, with or without appointment depending on the site.
4. Measles catch-up
Measles can occur at any age. Two doses of MMR protect for life against complications of measles, mumps and rubella (OFSP). If you are not sure you had two doses, check your record with a doctor, a pharmacist or the EPFL Point Santé. At the Point Santé, "le coût des vaccins est facturé à l'exception de la vaccination rougeole-oreillon-rubéole (ROR)" (vaccines are charged, except MMR).
5. Does LAMal pay?
| Vaccination | LAMal | Franchise | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule vaccinations (OPAS art. 12a), with the advice | Yes, if you are in the target group | Not applied since 1 Jan 2026; 10% co-payment still due | OPAS art. 12a, vd.ch |
| Same, given in a pharmacy on prescription | Vaccine billed to LAMal | Not applied; the act of vaccinating is paid by you | vd.ch, FOPH |
| Routine vaccination at Unisanté | Yes | Not applied, but 10% co-payment due | Unisanté |
| HPV (Vaud cantonal programme) | Covered from the 11th birthday to the day before the 27th, when given by a doctor within the cantonal programme; Unisanté: fully covered (3 doses) if the first dose is given by then. From 27, you pay the vaccine and admin fees (doctor, or pharmacy on prescription) | Not applied within the programme | vd.ch, HPV, Unisanté |
| Travel vaccines and travel consultation | No, at your own cost; vaccinations for work reasons are not covered either | n/a | OPAS art. 12a para. 3, Unisanté |
| RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) | Added to the OPAS list from 1 July 2026, only for the groups set in the OFSP reference document; ask your doctor whether you qualify | Not applied within the plan | OPAS art. 12a para. 1 let. t |
How LAMal, franchise and co-payment work: see LAMal health insurance. Dental care is a separate topic: see Dental care and LAMal. After a possible rabies exposure (animal bite), go to an emergency department quickly: see Health emergencies.
Planning to give blood? A recent vaccine can mean a short waiting period: see Giving blood in Vaud.
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine, tick removal and Lyme disease: see Ticks in Vaud: Lyme disease and TBE.