COVID-19 and our service
BreastScreen Victoria is open and screening with safety measures in place. We have appointments available throughout Victoria during COVID-19 restrictions. We look forward to welcoming you for your regular breast screen.
This page contains essential information about our service and is regularly updated.
ALERT! In keeping with the current Department of Health health order, you must not attend your BreastScreen appointment if you have any of the following:
- Fever
- Chills or sweats
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath
- Runny nose
- Have been diagnosed with COVID-19
- Have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Please call us on 13 20 50 to reschedule your appointment.
You can travel further than 5km from your home to attend your appointment but please follow Victorian Government advice closely about travelling to other parts of the state or interstate. Please access your closest clinic where an appointment is available.
We understand you may be concerned about having a breast screen at the moment. We want to reassure you that our clinics have infection control measures in place to protect against the risk of COVID-19. These include fitted face masks worn by all staff, precautionary health and travel questions, physical distancing in our clinics and more cleaning in-between appointments.
It may take longer than usual to get an appointment at the moment, we apologise for any inconvenience. Please contact your doctor without delay if you notice any breast changes or symptoms.
Click below to learn more.
If you have any new breast symptoms or changes, please see your doctor without delay. It is currently very safe to see your doctor and have a physical examination, and any recommended diagnostic imaging. If your doctor recommends a specialist appointment, it will be readily available as will any treatment you require. You can find information on breast cancer symptoms on our website.
If you have an increased risk of breast cancer due to family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer or have had breast cancer in the past, please see your doctor to discuss if it is appropriate for you to wait for your breast screen.
Clients must wear must wear a fitted face mask covering both your nose and mouth at all of our screening clinics. Please bring a fitted face mask to wear at your appointment.
You may be refused a breast screen if you do not have a valid reason for not wearing a mask (e.g. a health reason), and it poses a safety risk to our staff and other clients.
The safety of our clients and staff is our priority. We will have a number of important measures in place to protect against the risk of infection.
Prior to your appointment, you will need to tell us if you:
- have returned from overseas travel, or from red and orange zones in the last 14 days, or have any upcoming travel plans,
- feel unwell or have felt unwell, particularly if experiencing an acute respiratory infection and/or temperature or chills, and
- have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
In clinics and during appointments, we will be using social distancing where appropriate such as waiting areas, and enhanced hygiene practices.
For the health and safety of clients and staff, we will be spacing out appointments to create social distancing and reduce the number of people in waiting areas. It will also provide more time for BreastScreen Victoria staff to clean in-between appointments.
Your breast screen will take the same amount of time as before.
There are entry requirements at most BreastScreen Victoria clinics, please check the clinic webpage for further details.
Please note:
- arrive no more than five minutes early to your appointment
- if you arrive for your appointment too early, you may be asked to wait outside the clinic if there is someone already waiting,
- if you arrive for your appointment late, we may not be able to screen you for safety reasons,
- only carers are allowed to accompany clients for breast screening, please do not bring anyone else with you to your appointment, and
- due to COVID-19, there are entry requirements at most BreastScreen Victoria clinics. Please check your clinic page on our website for more details. You will also receive instructions in your appointment confirmation.
For your safety and convenience, our staff will print your registration and consent form when you arrive at the clinic, but please bring a pen to your appointment.
There is evidence the COVID-19 vaccines might cause enlarged lymph nodes in the neck and armpit in a few cases. The enlarged lymph nodes in response to the COVID-19 vaccine are part of the body’s immune response and are not related to breast cancer.
You can feel completely confident about having your breast screen. It is very important that you keep your breast screen appointment.
If you are called back for further tests following your mammogram, we may ask if you have recently had your COVID-19 vaccine.
If your doctor has advised you to delay your mammogram because of your recent COVID-19 vaccine, we can reschedule your appointment.
If you are concerned about any breast symptoms, or notice any changes that are unusual for you, please contact your GP as soon as possible.
We look forward to welcoming you at your next breast screen.
Check your eligibility and book your COVID-19 vaccine
You can check your eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine by using the Australian Department of Health's COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker.
You can book your COVID-19 vaccine online or by calling 1800 675 398.
We are currently experiencing very high demand for our service, and high wait times for an appointment at some of our clinics due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19. We have COVID-19 safety measures in place at our clinics including physical distancing and thorough, regular cleaning.
To ensure we can continue to deliver a safe and sustainable service, BreastScreen Victoria has introduced a temporary measure to screen those most at risk of developing breast cancer first.
Our program is available to all eligible Victorians, but anyone aged 40-49 or 75+ who wants to screen for the first time or has not been recommended to have an annual breast screen by BreastScreen Victoria will go on a waiting list. You will be invited to screen as soon as there are appointments available at your preferred clinic.
Breast cancer diagnoses affect more women in the 50-74 age group who are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
We are working hard to open up more appointments, but we expect to have a waiting list in place for six months or more. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.
Please see your doctor as soon as possible if you have any breast symptoms now or notice any unusual changes to the look and feel of your breasts.
If you have an increased risk of breast cancer due to family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer or have had breast cancer in the past, please discuss if you should wait for your breast screen with your doctor.
If you would like to get checked and screened sooner than we can offer you an appointment, your doctor will be able to organise this for you. They will also be aware of bulk billed (no-cost) options – be sure to ask.
BreastScreen Victoria is a population-screening program for women without breast symptoms. If you’re aged 50-74 you should have a breast screen every two years or annually if recommended.
If you are returning or have recently returned to Victoria from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, you will be travelling from a green, orange, red or extreme risk zone.
Please carefully consider any border restrictions before contacting us to book your breast screen or assessment appointment or before you attend one of our clinics.
Please see the latest Victorian Government advice on the border status and entry permits.
If you are returning from international travel, you will need to meet all quarantining requirements before contact us to book an appointment.
If you would like to discuss an upcoming appointment, please call 13 20 50.