[Translated from French]

Starting this fall, the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be offered free of charge to the entire Quebec population, confirmed the National Director of Public Health, Luc Boileau, on Wednesday.

Speaking on Midi info on ICI Première on Wednesday, Dr. Boileau clarified that the vaccine will be free for those deemed at risk.

This includes people aged 65 and over, the immunocompromised or those suffering from chronic illnesses, residents of CHSLDs, private seniors’ residences (RPAs) or other vulnerable settings, healthcare workers, adults living in remote areas, as well as pregnant women.

A vaccination campaign will take place in early October for vulnerable people, and then the remaining doses will be made available to others.

For the rest of the population, a vaccine dose will cost between $150 and $180 at a pharmacy, according to the Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires. The cost of a vaccine dose is estimated at approximately $100.

This decision follows the end of federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines, which transfers responsibility for vaccine procurement and the vaccination schedule to the provinces and territories.

In an interview on Wednesday, Dr. Boileau explained this decision by the fact that the vaccine no longer had the same efficacy for everyone. “Most people in Quebec have had a COVID infection, if not several, and they have also been vaccinated,” he emphasized.