The Alberta government says it directed pharmacies across the province to start booking flu vaccinations, if the shots are in stock, given the early onset of this year’s sickness season. The move is a change in previous policy that initially had vaccine rollouts scheduled for Oct. 19. A government spokesperson told CTV News that pharmacies were directed to bump that date up as of Wednesday afternoon. Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency room doctor Warren Thirsk says medical officials have been raising the alarm this year due to people falling to flu and COVID-related illnesses earlier than expected. More than 400 influenza cases have been reported in Alberta already for this flu season. “It’s hard to predict the future, but I think that we are not prepared like we want to be because the hospitals are full, the vaccines haven’t come out, so we can’t even protect health-care workers,” he told CTV News Edmonton. “Our health-care workers are getting sick like everyone else right now in Alberta.” Dr. Lynora Saxinger at the University of Alberta Hospital says this year’s most potent strain is spreading aggressively “because it’s different enough that people don’t have stored immunity … the way we often do.” “I would say book to get (the shot) as soon as you can, because it looks like it’s going to be active early, and you do need a little bit of lead time for your body to respond to the vaccine,” she told CTV News Edmonton. The province recommends calling your local pharmacy ahead of time to ask if it has vaccines ready. Immunizations have already begun for vulnerable or immunocompromised Albertans. Immunizations can be booked online or by calling Health Link at 811. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
