While pharmacists in Alberta are currently waiting for what is hoped will be a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines modified to target a more recent strain of the illness, an infectious disease expert says the latest provincial data underscores why getting a booster shot is a good idea once the new one is available.
“Even with vaccines, COVID is worse than the flu, and the numbers bear that out,” said Dr. Craig Jenne, a professor at the University of Calgary. “It is a more severe virus.”
The latest data published on the Alberta respiratory virus dashboard show that between August 2023 and August 2024, 732 deaths in Alberta were attributed to COVID-19 while 177 were linked to influenza.
“We’ve lost more than four times the number of people to COVID than we did to the flu this year,” Jenne pointed out. “And keep in mind this year was a record number of flu deaths as well.
“We now have this double hit of respiratory viruses and both of them can cause significant illness and loss of life.”
Between August 2023 and August 2024, a total of 23,933 COVID-19 cases were confirmed, along with 16,229 flu cases. The most recent reporting period for which data is posted — Aug. 18 to Aug. 24 — shows 285 new coronavirus cases were recorded in that time frame compared to three new flu cases. Also in that reporting period, four more deaths were linked to COVID-19 while none were connected to the flu.
Jenne recommends Albertans be vaccinated against both illnesses and noted it is safe to be vaccinated for both at the same time.
Randy Howden, the president of the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association, told Global News that pharmacists were instructed not to administer any existing COVID-19 vaccines as of Aug. 31.
That is because the Public Health Agency of Canada recently asked provinces to destroy their existing vaccines to avoid any mix-ups with new formulations that will have the same drug identification number.
“We can’t have them both in the same pharmacy, the same vaccine clinic, at the same time, because you won’t have any way to distinguish what is what,” said Dr. Donald Sheppard, PHAC’s vice-president of infectious diseases and vaccination programs department.
“This year, as is every year with the flu vaccine, we need to make sure that before the new formulations roll out into the clinics, the old formulations have all been removed.”
Health Canada is currently in the process of reviewing COVID-19 vaccines that were adapted to respond to the most recent strain of the virus.
Alberta has joined several other provinces in following the directive from PHAC but officials in British Columbia and Manitoba have said people in those provinces who want a dose from the current supply will be able to have it.
“Whether you get your vaccine this Tuesday or next Tuesday or the following Tuesday, the difference in your protection is not likely to be very substantial,” Sheppard said. “However, the difference in getting a new formulation that is a better match may actually be substantial.”
Howden told Global News that pharmacists have been told by the Alberta government that it is planning to roll out is fall immunization plan for both COVID-19 and influenza sometime in mid-October when it expects to have access to a newly formulated batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses.
“At this time, Alberta Health is awaiting approval from Health Canada for the mRNA COVID-19 KP.2 strain vaccines,” an Alberta Health spokesperson said in a statement issued to Global News.
“Once the vaccines receive federal approval, we will be able to provide more information regarding the immunization availability.”
–with files from Global News’ Michael King and The Canadian Press’ Hannah Alberga