High influenza cases and COVID-19 too much of a risk, Calgary pharmacist says
While the province is working to emphasize the vital importance of COVID-19 vaccination, health care workers are getting ready for the return of another seasonal campaign.
Starting in October, Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be offering influenza shots to all Albertans six months of age and older, free of charge.
An online booking system for appointments is yet to arrive, but officials say vaccination remains the best defence against infection and illness.
That's despite provincial data showing zero lab-confirmed cases of influenza across all five health zones between Sept. 27, 2020 and April 3, 2021.
The previous season saw 8,470 lab-confirmed cases of influenza, 1,605 hospitalizations, 161 ICU admissions and 41 deaths.
Earlier this year, experts said it was likely that the measures used to prevent COVID-19 infection – physical distancing, proper hand hygiene and other protocol – were effective against influenza too.
Even with that in mind, AHS maintains it is still very important for Albertans to acquire their seasonal flu shot.
"The influenza vaccine is the best way to lower your risk of getting influenza and having health problems related to influenza," the agency writes on its website. "It can also help stop you from spreading it to others."
'CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN'
Pharmacists in Calgary, like Brian Jones who works for Shoppers Drug Mart, says he hopes that people will do the right thing and get their seasonal flu vaccine.
"You could argue we are in a different restrictive atmosphere this year than we were last year," he said during an interview with CTV News. "We were much more restricted last year with what we could and couldn't do."
Now that people are out and about, attending events and meeting with friends, Jones says the risk for spreading influenza and COVID-19 is much higher. When that happens, it could put more pressure on the health care system.
"My worry is that people do end up in ICU, people do end up in hospital with flu – we can't afford to have that happen. Not only for our health care system, but for ourselves. If there's no room in the ICU now, how is there going be more room if we start getting flu?"
Jones believes the health care system won't be able to handle a tough influenza season at the same time that it's fighting COVID-19's fourth wave.
"I can't imagine getting both viruses at the same time or in close proximity to each other. It's hard to say because of the zero cases last year, but people may not feel that urgency, but there will always be that cohort of people who get the flu shots every year."
He thinks it is also unlikely that the government will need to introduce measures and incentives to encourage Albertans to roll up their sleeves once more.
"Who knows how people are feeling? I think the people who have gotten the (COVID-19) vaccine up until the last few weeks have gotten it for the right reason. There hasn't been the $100 on the table, there hasn't been (the idea of) you can't go anywhere without the vaccine."
"I'm hoping that those people that will still get the flu shot will continue the momentum of vaccination and try to get to the end of these restrictions. It's not about COVID-19 per se; it's about the burden to the health care system."
Last flu season, there were approximately 1.6 million doses of vaccine administered to Albertans.
CTV News has reached out to AHS and Alberta Health about the plan for distributing influenza vaccines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.