Tag: influenza

B.C. flu and COVID vaccine rollout is too little, too late

Published by: Victoria News
Published on: October 15, 2026
By Dr. Lyne Filiatrault

Where are B.C.’s vaccines?

Influenza A and COVID are already spreading. Another flu season in B.C., another round of vaccination arriving too late.

Last week, the Provincial Health Officer finally announced that flu vaccination for the higher risk population will start on Oct. 13. Thereafter the general public will be receiving vaccination notifications until early November.

Of course, Dr. Bonnie Henry is well aware that it takes another two weeks after vaccination for full antibody protection to develop.

Vaccination will then happen after many families will have gathered for Thanksgiving dinner with perhaps one or more uninvited guests floating in the air such as influenza A and COVID.

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Quebec

Flu vaccine: appointments are now available in Quebec

Published October 13, 2026

Published by: Radio-Canada
Published on: October 13, 2026
By Stéphane Bordeleau, Simon Bérubé

The flu has already returned to Quebec, where the season is expected to be early. Again this year, Quebecers will be able to get a flu vaccine in pharmacies, in clinics, and in certain RPAs (private residences for seniors).

Appointments can be booked starting today (October 13) on the Clic Santé platform (new window) or via the websites of private pharmacies. Vaccinations will begin on October 20.

This year, the vaccine will only be offered free of charge to those who are the most vulnerable to the flu (see the table below).

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British Columbia

Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations underway in B.C. as respiratory illness season arrives early

An early peak in flu season is being driven by the H1N1 strain, according to the BCCDC

Published October 7, 2026

Published by: CBC News
Published on: October 7, 2026
By Claire Palmer

B.C. has launched its annual fall immunization campaign amid an early start to the cold and flu season.

New this year, the province will be offering an enhanced flu shot and an immunization for RSV for seniors.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control said the early rise in cases is predominantly being driven by this year’s flu strain — H1N1, or influenza A — which is known to peak earlier and cause more severe illness.

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British Columbia

Beginning immunizations for viral respiratory season

People encouraged to protect themselves, loved ones from influenza, COVID-19, other viral illnesses

Published October 7, 2026

Published by: Government of British Columbia
Published on: October 7, 2026

Summary

Vaccines are available for influenza and COVID-19
Notifications began for priority populations on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, and appointments will start as early as Tuesday, Oct. 13
Notifications will continue and will expand to the general population through early November 2026
New this year: Seniors 75+ and Indigenous people 60+ are eligible for the RSV vaccine

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Saskatchewan

Sask. opens flu and COVID immunization bookings as sickness circulates

Too early to know how bad flu and COVID season may be, health officer says

Published October 6, 2026

Published by: CBC News
Published on: October 6, 2026
By Emma Stuart-Kiss

Saskatchewan has opened bookings for flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

The flu has been circulating this past month, with some parts of the country experiencing an early start to flu season. Health Canada reported 815 confirmed influenza cases for the week ending Sept. 26, compared to 291 in the week ending Sept. 5.

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Quebec

Most Quebeckers lose flu shot coverage as viral season gets early start

Published October 2, 2026

Published by: The Globe and Mail
Published on: October 2, 2026
By Tu Thanh Ha, Alanna Smith

Quebeckers who are not considered high-risk will have to pay nearly $200 to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 this season, charting a path opposite to other provinces in Canada as the viral season picks up speed.

Quebec is the only province scrapping universal flu coverage, owing its decision to guidance from the province’s immunization committee. Only some categories will be eligible for a free flu shot, such as Quebeckers 65 and older; people with certain chronic conditions – such as immunocompromised people – and those living with them; pregnant women; residents of seniors’ homes and long-term care facilities.

Those who do not qualify can expect to be charged around $150 for the COVID-19 vaccine, which came into effect in the province last year. Now, they will also need to pay between $30 and $40 for the flu shot, said Marilie Beaulieu-Gravel, a spokesperson for the association representing pharmacy owners in Quebec.

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Quebec

The flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaign will begin on October 20

It will not be free for everyone this year.

Published October 1, 2026

Published by: Le Devoir
Published on: October 1, 2026
By Florence Morin-Martel

Quebecers will be able to make appointments starting on October 13, to be vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 during the autumn campaign. This will start on October 20, but this year the free vaccinations will be reserved for groups considered to be the most vulnerable.

In less than two weeks, the public will therefore be able to make appointments on Clic Santé. It will also be possible to do this at pharmacies, with over 1,700 in the province offering the flu and COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to those who are eligible.

This year, the free influenza and COVID-19 vaccine doses are reserved for people aged 65 years and older, as well as residents of CHSLDs (residential and long-term care centres), private residences for the elderly, and other communal settings that include many vulnerable people.

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Ontario

Flu and COVID-19 vaccines available to some Ontarians starting today. Here is who is eligible

Published September 28, 2026

Published by: CTV News
Published on: September 28, 2026
By Phil Tsekouras

The Ontario government is launching its fall immunization program ahead of flu season and some people can get their shots starting this week.

In a news release, the Ministry of Health said an initial supply of COVID-19 and flu vaccines will be available for high-risk and priority groups who live, work or study in Ontario starting Monday. Those individuals include:

Hospitalized patients
Hospital staff
Residents and staff in long-term care homes, retirement homes and other congregate settings
Individuals aged 65 and older

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Alberta

Alberta government maintaining COVID vaccine fee as it prepares for fall influenza campaign

Province says Albertans can start booking vaccination appointments on Oct. 5

Published September 14, 2026

Published by: CBC News / The Canadian Press
Published on: September 14, 2026

The Alberta government says its provincewide influenza, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus vaccination campaign will begin next month.

In a news release issued Monday, the province said it’s maintaining the $100 fee it brought in last year for those seeking the COVID vaccine, though there’s a long list of reasons that could see the fee be waived for people, such as having health conditions that put them at risk for severe illness.

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indoor air quality

Buildings May Soon Have ‘Immune Systems’ That Fight Airborne Disease

Following the pandemic, the federal government is spending $150 million on new technology to ensure clean indoor air. Here’s what scientists are pursuing.

Published June 19, 2026

Published by: The New York Times
Published on: June 19, 2026
By Carl Zimmer

Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer, stood next to a pair of clear plastic boxes packed with tubes, nozzles and electronics, an odd-looking prototype that one day might serve to protect children in day care from airborne pathogens.

A nozzle filled the right-hand box with a faint silvery mist. A pump pulled some of that air into the left-hand box, where a sampler trapped floating particles and droplets. Soon, a digital screen bolted to the box turned red: “Detected! Dust mite allergen Der f 1.”

A protein shed by dust mites, Der f 1 can trigger asthma attacks when inhaled. Dr. Marr’s device had detected 843 picograms of Der f 1 per cubic meter. A single grain of salt is about 10 million times as heavy.

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hospitalizations

Hospitalization rates for illnesses like COVID, flu have doubled since pre-pandemic, report finds

Vaccine-preventable respiratory infections sending thousands to hospital, all while vaccine uptake is dropping

Published April 16, 2026

Published by: CBC News
Published on: April 16, 2026
By Lauren Pelley

Years after the virus that causes COVID-19 kicked off a global pandemic, it’s still sending thousands of Canadians into hospital each year alongside other respiratory infections — despite a suite of vaccines that can slash someone’s risk of serious illness.

Striking new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows hospitalization rates for vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases more than doubled in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, all while vaccination rates are backsliding.

There were 142 hospitalizations for every 100,000 Canadians that year, the data shows, up from roughly 66 per 100,000 in 2019.

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vaccines

F.D.A. Reverses Decision and Agrees to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine

Moderna held further discussions with regulators and announced that the agency would accept the company’s application for approval of its flu vaccine that uses mRNA technology.

Published February 18, 2026

Published by: The New York Times
Published on: February 18, 2026
By Christina Jewett, Rebecca Robbins

The Food and Drug Administration reversed its decision on Moderna’s flu vaccine and has agreed to review it for possible approval.

Just last week, Moderna announced that the agency had rejected its application for review of a new flu vaccine. The F.D.A. said the company’s research design had been flawed.

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vaccines

FDA declines to review Moderna application for new flu vaccine

Moderna requests meeting to discuss refusal as decision could have implications for all new and updated vaccines

Published February 10, 2026

Published by: The Guardian
Published on: February 10, 2026
By Melody Schreiber

US regulators will not review Moderna’s request to license a new, potentially more effective flu shot – even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously gave the green light to the project – in a decision that could have implications for all new and updated vaccines in the US.

It’s the latest move by the Trump administration against vaccines. Officials in January decided to stop fully recommending one-third of routine childhood vaccines, including flu vaccines.

“This is likely to discourage industry from investing in future influenza vaccines, and makes working with the US FDA uncertain and problematic,” said Dorit Reiss, professor of law at UC Law San Francisco.

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wastewater monitoring

The Secret Weapon in Canada’s Sewers

As America takes an axe to its health data, expanding wastewater surveillance could save lives

Published February 2, 2026

Published by: Maclean’s
Published on: February 2, 2026
By Eric Arts

As a virologist, I spend my days thinking about how to detect outbreaks of coronaviruses, mpox, West Nile and other pathogens early enough to stop them. Right now, I’m concerned about Canada’s awful flu season and the fact that we recently lost our measles-elimination status. But mostly, I’m terrified of what’s unfolding south of the border.

The consequences of the Trump administration’s cuts to the CDC and NIH will extend far beyond America. Those agencies form the backbone of North America’s infectious-disease surveillance. They track variants, monitor cross-border spread and feed data into global systems coordinated by the World Health Organization, helping everyone on Earth prepare. When those programs are dismantled, Canada loses key warning signs of influenza, RSV, measles and whatever diseases are coming next.

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N95 respirators

Experts Call For N95s To Replace Surgical Masks As Flu, Covid Viruses Spread

Published January 15, 2026

Published by: Forbes
Published on: January 15, 2026
By Judy Stone

Nationally, we are seeing very high levels of influenza and, again, a growing wave of COVID-19 infections. A new variant of influenza A H3N2 called subclade K is driving some of this epidemic. Subclade K has already appeared in Japan and Europe and is more severe, especially in the elderly and very young.

Last week, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported 39,945 hospital admissions^⁠, up from 33,301 admissions the week before. While numbers have varied some week to week, they have been relatively high. There have been 19 pediatric deaths so far this season. The CDC estimates that there have been at least 15,000,000 illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations, and 7,400 deaths from flu so far this season.

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vaccines

RFK Jr. appoints 2 vocal opponents of vaccine use in pregnancy to federal advisory board

Published January 13, 2026

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on: January 13, 2026
By Stephanie Soucheray

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today appointed two obstetricians-gynecologists to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Both appointees have a history of questioning vaccine safety in pregnancy, and one has erroneously claimed COVID-19 vaccines caused miscarriages.

Adam Urato, MD, of UMass Memorial Health, is the first listed appointee to ACIP. In October of 2024, he wrote on X, “CDC & ACOG recommend 4 vaccines in pregnancy: Flu, Tdap, RSV, & COVID. My patients often ask: ‘How do we know that all these vaccines won’t have adverse effects on my baby & me?’ The answer is: ‘We don’t.’ Women’s vax concerns should be acknowledged & their choices supported.”

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Northwest Territories

Yellowknife adds more flu and Covid shot walk-in clinics

Published January 12, 2026

Published by: Cabin Radio
Published on: January 12, 2026
By Ollie Williams

Yellowknife public health workers say two walk-in clinics for flu and Covid-19 shots will take place this week.

The first runs from 9am-4pm on Monday including the lunch hour, staff said in a Monday morning email, and the second operates to the same times on Friday, January 16.

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vaccines

‘Incomprehensibly stupid:’ How U.S. cuts in vaccine recommendations will impact Canadians

Published January 11, 2026

Published by: CTV News
Published on: January 11, 2026
By Kamil Karamali

Canadian doctors are warning that a new U.S. policy which slashes the number of vaccines universally recommended to all children could have devastating, and potentially deadly effects in Canada, including increasing disease spread through American travellers visiting north of the border.

“This was just incomprehensibly stupid. I was horrified,” said family doctor and former president of the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Sohail Gandhi in an interview with CTV News Saturday. “Children in the U.S. are going to die as a result of this move – and, worse, some children are going to have lifelong complications as a result of this move.”

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Tag: influenza

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

An early peak in flu season is being driven by the H1N1 strain, according to the BCCDC

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

People encouraged to protect themselves, loved ones from influenza, COVID-19, other viral illnesses

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Summary

Too early to know how bad flu and COVID season may be, health officer says

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

It will not be free for everyone this year.

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Province says Albertans can start booking vaccination appointments on Oct. 5

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Following the pandemic, the federal government is spending $150 million on new technology to ensure clean indoor air. Here’s what scientists are pursuing.

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Vaccine-preventable respiratory infections sending thousands to hospital, all while vaccine uptake is dropping

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Moderna held further discussions with regulators and announced that the agency would accept the company’s application for approval of its flu vaccine that uses mRNA technology.

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Moderna requests meeting to discuss refusal as decision could have implications for all new and updated vaccines

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

As America takes an axe to its health data, expanding wastewater surveillance could save lives

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts