Alberta’s health minister said more people have received the flu shot so far this year compared to the same time in previous years.
Numbers from Alberta Health Services show 1,004,537 people in the province have been vaccinated against influenza. At the same time last year, 921,299 rolled up their sleeves – a difference of 83,238.
Minister Sarah Hoffman said there may be several reasons for the uptick.
“I’m hoping it’s got something to do with the messages and the ease of access around work sites and other places,” she said.
Hoffman said she has heard from people that it has been convenient to get the flu shot at a public health clinic, pharmacy or doctor’s office.
Pharmacist Seth Gilfillan, who works at Medi-Drugs Mill Creek, said he has noticed the trend.
“This year in particular we’ve actually seen a lot more people coming through for flu shots. This year we have done more than we have done any year in the past,” he said.
Gilfillan agrees that increased awareness and the convenience of getting a flu shot from a pharmacist may be contributing to the increased demand.
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However, as of Thursday, Dec. 7, there have been eight flu deaths in the province. That number is substantially higher than around the same time last year – AHS said that there was one flu death in the province as of Dec. 8, 2016. The number of hospitalizations and confirmed cases of influenza is also up this year than in 2016.
| 2016 (as of Dec. 8, 2016) | 2017 (as of Dec. 7, 2017) | |
| Confirmed cases of influenza | 531 | 1,772 |
| Hospitalizations | 145 | 459 |
| Deaths | 1 | 8 |
Gilfillan said it is never too late to get vaccinated.
“The flu season is technically for most of the winter months, from October all the way to February or March. You can get the flu shot anytime between that range,” he said.
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A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the flu vaccine was only 10 per cent effective against the predominant strain in Australia’s flu season. The vaccine in the Southern Hemisphere has the same composition of the one used in North America.
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However, Dr. Jasmine Hasselback, a medical officer of health for the Edmonton zone, said it is too early to make an assessment of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
“What we know this year and every year is that getting the flu vaccine is more effective than not,” she said.
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Vaccinations are a personal matter for Megan Bailey and her family. Five-year-old daughter Finnley is battling leukemia and has an immunocompromised system.
Bailey said Finnley got her flu shot the first day it was available in October.
“When you have a sick child, you become powerless, you feel helpless. Getting the flu shot is one way that I was able to help ensure she would be safe at least from that one thing,” she said.
Bailey said herd immunity, which is when a critical portion of the community is immunized thereby protecting the rest from a disease outbreak, is designed for children like her daughter.
“I need it to help keep her safe,” she said.
“She’s completely vulnerable to all of those diseases that we often take for granted that we can be protected against.”
Hoffman said there are no concerns about demand in the province outstripping supply, adding that the province will “work to make sure we get more” if there is a rush for vaccines.
For more information on immunization clinics and schedules, click here.
-with file from Emily Mertz
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