Majority of Albertans to pay if they want a COVID vaccine now

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 14, 2025.

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In what the Government of Alberta is labelling a “new approach” to COVID-19 vaccinations, most Albertans will be paying out of pocket if they’d like a dose.

The federal government earlier this year moved purchasing responsibilities of COVID vaccinations to the provinces, an early sign that changes might be coming since this provincial government has come across cold toward COVID vaccines since Danielle Smith became premier. Starting this fall, only those Albertans the government has deemed to be at “higher risk of severe outcomes” will be able to access a free vaccination dose, a process that will affect people in phases.

“In previous years, we’ve seen significant vaccine wastage,” said Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adrians LaGrange. “By shifting to a targeted approach and introducing pre-ordering, we aim to better align supply with demand – ensuring we remain fiscally responsible while continuing to protect those at highest risk.”

The province says a little more than a million COVID-19 vaccines were wasted in 2023-24, or 54 per cent of Alberta’s order that year. No data was provided for the latest fiscal year.

Without providing its own figures from its own costs, the government says the U.S.’s Center for Disease Control estimates the costs to be about $110 per vaccine dose. Using that estimate the province claims about $135 million worth of vaccines were never used and were discarded.

Phase 1 will begin in the fall and will provide free vaccines only to residents of seniors supportive living facilities and home care clients.

Once Phase 2 arrives, all vaccinations from there on will be at public health clinics only, while none will go to pharmacies. Phase 2 will provide free vaccines only to Albertans six months and older with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems, or those in congregate living accommodations.

Phase 3 will open vaccines up to Albertans 65 and older, but they will no longer be free and the province says it hasn’t yet worked out what that cost will be.

Phase 4 will open up out-of-pocket vaccinations to everyone left.

If you expect you’ll want a dose of COVID-19 vaccination, the province is opening the Alberta Vaccine Booking System starting Aug. 11. The province will order 485,000 doses to start.

A provincial release states that at the CDC estimate of $110, that will cost the province no more than $49 million. It is unknown where that figure came from, as the math shows 485K doses at $110 to be more than $53 million, but the province says it expects to recoup much of those costs since most Albertans will be paying for them now.

The province is spending roughly $2 million on RSV vaccines and $19 million for influenza shots fro 2025-26.