WINNIPEG — Many Manitobans, especially young people, are choosing to forgo the flu shot, according to a report released by the Prairie Research Associates.
Only 32 per cent of people reported receiving the vaccination this past flu season, which ran from September 2015 to March 2016.
RELATED: Flu vaccine more effective in 2016: Manitoba Health
According to Statistics Canada, this puts Manitoba behind all provinces expect Quebec and Newfoundland in flu vaccination rates.
The vaccination rate also varies depending on age, according to the report. About 15 per cent of Manitobans under 40-years-old received the shot, while 65 per cent and older went in for the vaccination.
Among those who received the flu shot this past flu season, family doctors delivered 36 per cent of all flu vaccinations, followed by pharmacies at 19 per cent, and community centres and churches at 18 per cent.
When respondents were asked why they didn’t receive the shot, most people said they “didn’t get around to it.”
RELATED: 2015-16 flu shot providing good protection against H1N1: study
Almost a fifth of respondents had either heard of or personally experienced a bad reaction to previous flu shots.
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