Flu shots are in limited supply
Local pharmacists receiving fewer doses than they were expecting
Niagara pharmacists are concerned they might not have enough influenza vaccine to meet demand, despite promises of an increased supply across Ontario.
The provincial government announced two weeks ago that it is ordering 5.1 million doses of influenza vaccine — 700,000 more than last year — in the hope of protecting residents against seasonal flu, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
But Niagara pharmacists, who said they are being increasingly relied on to safely provide influenza inoculations, are so far receiving fewer doses of the vaccine than they were expecting.
Aaron Boggio said suppliers “have really limited” the number of doses being provided to pharmacies.
“Last year we did a little over 1,000 shots and suppliers are only allotting us about 250 at the moment,” he said.
But as of Tuesday, he said, his Port Colborne pharmacy only received about 90 doses of vaccine in its first shipment.
“We’re not really sure where we stand,” Boggio said.
Pharmacist and Ontario Pharmacists Association board member Sean Simpson said his Virgil pharmacy, where he plans to run a drive-thru immunization clinic, only received 65 doses Tuesday — a far cry from the 1,100 doses or more he expects to receive.
“I don’t know where the holdup is … I don’t know where it lies, but the challenge for us is how do we manage?” Simpson said. “We’re trying to open up this online booking system, but it doesn’t do a lot of good with 65 doses.”
A second pharmacy location Simpson owns in the Old Town of Niagara-on-the-lake received 50 doses — “and that’s it,” he said.
“It’s a bit frustrating.” Ontario Pharmacists Association past-chair Donnie Edwards, who co-owns a pharmacy in Fort Erie, said pharmacists across the province have shared similar concerns.
“The need and the want is far exceeding what we’re probably going to be delivered, especially at the beginning of the flu season,” Edwards said. “Right about now is when we typically get flu shots being delivered and the number of people calling and asking for a flu shot is definitely on the rise.”
Even if more doses of vaccine are provided in months to come, pharmacists said it would be far more effective to inoculate people as early in the influenza season as possible.
“It takes up to two weeks to really get a true immunity to those strains that we’re administering. It’s better to do it sooner rather than later,” Edwards said.
“You can imagine if you don’t really start distributing the vaccine until December, at that point it’s not really going to be effective until late December or January and you’re right in the thick of things at that point.”
Meanwhile, pharmacists said they are seeing an increased de
mand for the vaccine from customers who feel safer visiting drug stores than doctors offices.
Edwards referred to a Canadian Pharmacists Association survey released in August that showed that 57 per cent of Canadians plan to receive a flu shot due to concerns about COVID-19, up from 45 per cent in 2019.
“You know it’s going to be at least a 10 per cent increase. I’m expecting more than that here in Ontario in particular,” Edwards said.
About 41 per cent of survey respondents also said they intended to get a flu shot at a pharmacy, compared to 34 per cent who planned to visit a doctor’s office for an inoculation.
“We’ve been taking patients names for probably two months now, and we’ll call them and schedule appointments so we can spread them apart enough,” Edwards said. “We plan on having night clinics even after the pharmacy is closed where those at highest risk would be able to come at that time.”
Boggio said his pharmacy has seen an increased demand for flu shots.
“People were starting to ask us to sign up for vaccines in early September. We have a list of names with probably 400 or 500 people and I’ve only got 90 shots here,” he said.
Until more doses are provided, the local pharmacists plan to reserve the limited vaccines they have for people who are at a higher risk of severe infection — such as residents of longterm care homes or people with compromised immune systems.