'Vaccine fatigue' growing in Alberta during fall immunization campaign, expert says

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg)

Vaccine fatigue is likely to blame for a slower start to the fall immunization campaign in Alberta, according to an infectious disease expert.

Craig Jenne, with the University of Calgary, says the growing fatigue is not limited to just COVID-19 vaccines, but also spills over into seasonal flu shots and some early childhood vaccines.

“We have seen throughout the pandemic Alberta was typically the lowest vaccinated province in the country for first dose, second dose and subsequent doses,” Jenne said.

“So, it’s nothing new that vaccine uptake is a little bit slower in Alberta.”

Statistics for COVID-19 and influenza vaccines from the 2024-25 season respiratory illness season in Alberta are expected to be released on Thursday.

In contrast, Alberta’s neighbour to the west, British Columbia, is seeing a record number of vaccine doses in arms, with 369,774 in total last week, according to the province.

Alongside resident fatigue, the Government of Alberta has also been spending significantly less on immunization advertising since the pandemic.

For the 2022–23 season, the province spent $914,981 on the annual campaign. The funding dipped to $514,890 in 2023-24 and again to $425,000 for the 2024-25 respiratory virus season this year.

Jenne said after a “particularly hard year for flu” in 2023-24, rolling up sleeves for shots is important for Albertans.

“We lost a record number of Albertans to influenza, and that’s not counting the number that were hospitalized or even ICU,” he said.

“When it comes to public healthcare, the number of people and the percentage of the community vaccinated is critical.”

More details to come...