HALIFAX – Demand is high for the flu vaccine in Nova Scotia but there is plenty to go around, according to the province.
On Thursday, Dr. Frank Atherton, the deputy chief medical officer of health for Nova Scotia, said the province ordered more vaccine this year than it has in years past.
He said the province has 435,000 doses for residents and much of it is still available.
There is no accurate figure yet on how many doses have been used.
But Atherton said demand to get the flu shot from pharmacists has been greater than anticipated.
This is the first year pharmacists in Nova Scotia have been allowed to administer the shot.
Shelagh Campbell-Palmer, manager of professional practice for the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, said that she is not surprised by the demand to get the flu shot from a pharmacist.
“Pharmacists are so accessible in patients’ communities. They’re in every neighbourhood. They’re available for long hours. It’s particularly practical for working people,” she said.
Convenience was a factor for Ross Armstrong, who brought his two daughters, Cleo and Carmen, to get immunized at Mackay’s PharmaChoice in Dartmouth Thursday night.
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“I didn’t have to book an appointment. They have evening hours where my doctor has daytime hours. I would have to book time off to do it,” said Armstrong.
Pharmacist Sabrina McLean said she thinks many people who have never gotten the flu shot in the past are getting it this year.
“I did have some people come in who have never had it before, which tells me that maybe that’s the only reason they got it this year, because it was more convenient,” she said.
McLean said the pharmacy has been busy with patients this flu season.
“The last three or four days, it has probably ramped up to about five a day.”
Though demand seems strong, Atherton said the province has released a batch of doses to other provinces running low on the vaccine.
“We’ve just had a discussion yesterday with other provinces. We’ve agreed to release a small batch of our stock, 10,000 doses, to other provinces on a loan basis,” he said.
Health officials in Alberta, for example, have predicted they will run out of the vaccine by the end of this week.
But Atherton said there is no need for Nova Scotians to fear their supply will run out.
“There is vaccine out there. People can still access the vaccine if they choose to do so. If we needed more, we would have negotiations with the manufacturers and other provinces.”
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