Flu vaccine uptake drops in New Brunswick as the viral season begins

‘Tis the season — well, flu season — and the Public Health in New Brunswick says that flu vaccine uptake is 60 per cent lower than it was this time last year.

Early data, provided by the Department of Health, shows that 66,488 people had received the flu shot compared to 110,090 at the same time in 2021.

“The administration of the influenza vaccine started about a week earlier in 2021 than they did this year, and there have been some process changes around data reporting for pharmacies and primary care providers that may be causing a slight lag in the reporting process,” according to a statement from the department.

Less protections in place

Epidemiologist Susanne Gulliver said vaccination is now one of the only tools people have left in the absence of other mandated public health measures.

“We had a physical barrier for transmission for influenza and I think a lot of people have forgotten that what’s changed this year,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.

“So, it’s even more important to get your flu shot and as well to get your COVID booster because we no longer have a physical barrier stopping transmission of these respiratory viruses.”

She said over the past two years there has been a lot of vigilance for hygiene, hand-washing, physical distancing, mask-wearing, cleaning and sanitization of frequently-touched surfaces.

The flu existed in the past two years, Gulliver explained, but we were building up more than one defence against it and many of those are gone, including masking.

“Masking is so important,” she said. “It isn’t variant-specific or even respiratory disease-specific. It’s that physical barrier that protects you from catching it but also stops you from spreading if you are ill.”

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In Nova Scotia, the health department is contending with several viruses on top of COVID-19. It’s reporting that there is influenza A and B, adenovirus, enterovirus/rhinovirus, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.

It said in a statement there is no data available on flu vaccine uptake at this point, but said Nova Scotians should get vaccinated in the coming weeks to see the full benefit.

“We encourage everyone to continue their health habits learned and adopted through the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.

The science behind both vaccines

Gulliver also said there is nothing unsafe about getting the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time or around the same time.

She explained the vaccinations have different mechanisms of action.

The COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine. It acts like a set of instructions for the spike proteins the virus has. Those instructions tell the body how to detect them and destroy them.

Meanwhile, the flu vaccine, she said, is a “killed-vaccine.” It sends small pieces of the virus that introduce it to the body but not enough to reproduce.

“So, they are different mechanisms of actions, so different parts of your immune system are going to respond,” Gulliver said.

Pharmacies ramping up

The Nova Scotia Pharmacists Association said while they have no firm data on vaccine numbers, there is an impact being felt.

“We’re seeing it all around us. We do know we’re seeing increased demand for children’s cough and cold products,” Allison Bodnar, the executive director of the NSPA, said on Tuesday. “We’re seeing significantly increased prescriptions for antibiotics, not for viral issues but for issues related to those.”

Meanwhile, the New Brunswick Pharmacists Association said it is beginning its vaccine campaign.

Executive director Jake Reid said it is anecdotally hearing that people are waiting until they are eligible for their next COVID-19 booster.

“We understand people may be experiencing a bit of vaccine fatigue, but we encourage everyone to book an appointment for a flu vaccine,” he said in a statement.

Appointments for both the COVID-19 and the flu can be accessed online.