Flu vaccine popular this year
By Medicine Hat News on November 7, 2020.
In the past week about another 250,000 Albertans have been immunized against influenza. According to Alberta Health Services’ second weekly report on the new influenza season, 858,320 Albertans have already been immunized. In 2017 by the end of November the number for the whole province was 958,961 and last year by the middle of November it was 936,675. In the south zone, which includes Medicine Hat, the number is 55,047. Calgary has done 364,072 immunizations, central zone 77,827, Edmonton zone 300,997 and the north zone 60,371. A week ago AHS reported a case of influenza A in the central zone. That case has now been revised as a novel strain and been removed from seasonal reporting. Many pharmacies and doctors offices are providing influenza immunization shots but families with children less than five years old can make an appointment (online, see link below) with AHS. Due to COVID-19 there will be no AHS drop-in flu clinics. Pharmacists will offer vaccine to all Albertans more than five years old while some doctors provide to those more than nine years old and in some cases to children from six months of age. Individuals who do not have a provincial health care number, or who live in a community where there are no other immunizing health care providers, can call Health Link to seek immunization through AHS. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/influenza/influenza.aspx 12-11
