COVID vaccinations are not available at some Calgary pharmacies due to shipping delays

Alberta launched its fall immunization campaign on Tuesday, but people hoping to get both a flu and COVID-19 shot may have to wait, with many pharmacies yet to receive a shipment of the new COVID vaccines.

“We were hoping to get the flu and the COVID vaccine together, so that was the plan initially, but right before the launch, we were told that the vaccines would be delayed a bit for the COVID,” said Nisma Shaukat, a pharmacist at Copperfield Pharmasave.

In September, Alberta Health announced that both vaccines would be available on October 15.

While many pharmacies cannot open bookings until the shots are delivered, others were forced to cancel bookings on Tuesday.

“It’s certainly inconvenient for people, especially when a lot of them heard through radio ads and things like that that everything would be available together on the 15th,” Shaukat said.

“So many come together, hoping to do both, and we have to tell them, ‘No, we only have one available at the moment.’

Alberta launched its fall immunization campaign on Tuesday, but people hoping to get both a flu and COVID-19 shot may have to wait, with many pharmacies yet to receive a shipment of the new COVID vaccines.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says an “error” involving a distributor, McKesson, has caused a delay in shipments.

“I’m sure they’re rolling out the vaccine products and vaccinating themselves at AHS pharmacies and clinics and by the end of the week they’ll have everyone fully stocked.”

The province previously blamed distribution problems on family doctors not having access to flu shots to administer.

Now, it’s pharmacists who worry the delay could make it harder for people to walk through the doors again for another appointment, citing a slowdown in vaccine uptake in Alberta.

During the 2023-24 flu season, 1.1 million Albertans received flu shots, most through pharmacies and clinics.

This means around 140,000 people less than the previous year.

“It slowed down some, definitely. Last year, I think the flu numbers were half the peak and that’s also why we had a really bad flu year,” said David Brewerton of Lukes Drug Mart .

He describes the delay as a minor inconvenience, but said Albertans shouldn’t hesitate to get the vaccine as soon as they can, with a new strain of COVID-19 circulating.

“They should get it soon,” he said.

“The colleague I just gave to now has one person at work and they have other people there. There is definitely COVID going around, there’s no doubt about it.”

Alberta launched its fall immunization drive on Tuesday, but people hoping to get both a flu and COVID-19 shot may have to wait, and many pharmacies have yet to receive a shipment of the new COVID vaccines .

Health experts worry about the kind of impact a vaccine delay will have on the upcoming respiratory virus season.

“The problem is that today’s low uptake will lead to a problem not tomorrow, not in three weeks, but by Christmas when we have all the hospitals overwhelmed,” said microbiologist Jason Tetro.

He accuses the province of doing little to encourage Albertans to get vaccinated, citing what he describes as the lack of a fall immunization drive for ideological reasons.

“The politicization of the vaccine has had a huge impact, so now we have the right to the left, but at the end of the day, getting a shot in the arm shouldn’t be political,” he said.

LaGrange said the province invested $500,000 in immunization campaigns, the same as last year.

The delivery date for the COVID-19 vaccine varies by pharmacy, so Albertans are encouraged to check in or check online for appointments.