LAKELAND - Albertans who want to access this year's influenza vaccine will have to plan ahead a little as precautions are in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and fewer walk-in opportunities will be available.
Last week, this year's influenza vaccine became available across the province. Health units and pharmacies across the Lakeland have reported an uptick in residents coming in for the preventative poke.
"We are seeing more people this time around," said pharmacist Zicki Eludin who owns the IDA Crescent Drugs in Lac La Biche. "In fact, in this first week, we've done more than half of all we did last year."
The pharmacist credits heightened health education for the nudge in needlework.
"It's all around us. I think people are really aware and I thing they are really wanting to take precautions," he said, adding that more and more of the older generation are visiting the store and booking vaccination shots.
While the influenza vaccine won't help with the COVID-19 spread, Eludin said his staff are doing all they can to prevent any transmissions during the close-contact shot.
"We have protocols in place. We wear a mask and the person coming in has to wear one, we wipe down the chairs after each shot and the pens after people fill out the paperwork," he said. "It has to be done correctly for the staff here and the people coming in."
Appointments can be made ahead of time by contacting the store directly. Walk-ins are also available. There is no cost of the shot.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kristin Klein says that while it's important every year to get your influenza vaccine, this year is additionally important because of the overlap with COVID. She notes that being proactive in getting an influenza vaccine could help reduce stress on the overall health care system, since influenza can also have serious implications for some.
This year's vaccine is helping protect people against four strains of influenza, explains Klein. There are two A-type strains, which are H1N1 and H3N2, and two B-type strains.
"I just want to strongly encourage everybody to get their flu shot," says Klein. "Whoever can get immunized should get immunized."
While there will be no mass walk-in clinics held this season, there are still plenty of opportunities available. AHS is focusing its efforts on children under five years old and their caregivers and families. But, appointments must be booked with public health ahead of time. If a family has a child under the age of five, and children over the age of five, they can all get their influenza vaccine at the same time, she further explains.
Pharmacists and physicians are also a crucial piece of the vaccination campaign.
By now, many Albertans have fallen into the routine of good hand washing, physical distancing, and other means of slowing the spread of COVID-19, and many of those habits will translate to the upcoming influenza season.
Another new piece to note is that isolation requirements for people who experience symptoms immediately after getting the influenza vaccine are different. If symptoms appear withing 24 hours of the immunization, and go away within 48 hours, the person does not have to isolate further, says Klein. Some people may get a mild fever after getting the influenza vaccine, for example, but it may be gone the next day.
However, if those symptoms do last longer than 48 hours, they must isolate.
Flu season typically runs from mid-November to mid-March, and so far, health officials are not seeing influenza activity in the province, says Klein.
Albertans can get more information about influenza and book an appointment online, or call 811.
Elk Point
Even with the Public Health targeting families with children from six months to five years of age, Chantelle Hammond said that 50 people attended her first clinic at Elk Point Allied Arts on Oct. 20. Last year, when the clinic was open to the general population, “I had about 180” at the two clinics and subsequent visits to her office, she said, “So I think this went quite well.”
The new move for the public to receive flu shots at pharmacies kept Elk Point’s pharmacists on the run all last week also.
“In the first two days, we did more immunizations than we did all last year,” PharmaChoice pharmacist Randy Seniuk said Friday, as he prepared for another busy day. “People are paying more attention to prevention and want to secure their immunization early.”
He added that the public “has to take precautions, wearing masks when needed, and following the guidelines” to stay safe from both influenza COVID-19 this year.
Across Main Street at Guardian Drugs, assistant pharmacist Paul Tellier, who assists Chris Letawsky at the store’s busiest times, said they were “busy, busy, busy all day” on Wednesday at the first of two public flu shot clinics the store is offering, in addition to the drop-in visits on other days.
Appointments are being booked for a second clinic on Nov. 4 to help people avoid lineups.
With files from Vicki Brooker
