Advertisement

Flu shot clinics open in Edmonton after delay

Click to play video: 'Survey: Nearly 40% of Albertans won’t get flu shot'
Survey: Nearly 40% of Albertans won’t get flu shot
WATCH: (Sept 2019) A new survey suggests nearly 40 per cent of Albertans will not get their flu shot this year. Su-Ling Goh has more in Health Matters – Sep 24, 2019

Alberta Health Services officially opened its public flu shot clinics in Edmonton on Oct. 28, a full week after the rest of the province saw their clinics rolled out.

The delay was due to the city having what AHS described as a large population of high-risk people who needed outreach services, like seniors lodges and long-term care centres.

To find a clinic near you, you can use the clinic locator tool on the AHS website.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

It usually takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide protection.

“It’s most important to be immunized before you get challenged with influenza,” said  Dr. Chris Sikora, AHS Edmonton zone medical officer of health.

Story continues below advertisement

“It’s the reason why we have this extra access… you can be immunized early in the season so that you can get protected early.”

You can also get the shot from some pharmacies and physician offices, which have been available for several weeks.

The province purchased 1.6 million doses of the influenza vaccine for the 2019-2020 season at a total cost of $12.5 million.

During last season, over 1.3 million doses were administered to Albertans.

Click to play video: 'Mike Sobel gets his flu shot live on air'
Mike Sobel gets his flu shot live on air

Sponsored content

AdChoices