Hamilton residents see flu shot appointments cancelled amid supply issues
- Michael Kras
- 04 Nov 2020
If you weren’t first in line to grab your flu shot this season, you might be having some difficulty getting it now as Hamilton, and the whole province of Ontario, struggles with a current shortage of doses.
The shortage comes after the Ford government’s assurance that the province of Ontario would be administering its largest flu shot campaign in history, in the face of worries that the seasonal flu could overwhelm the healthcare system in tandem with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ontario government spent weeks, months telling people to go out and get their flu shots. And now, they act surprised that people are actually trying to get them, after only ordering enough for ~1/3 of the population https://t.co/wS0Wi4AMxc
— Robyn Urback (@RobynUrback) November 3, 2020
The unprecedented demand for the vaccine has been immense. Pharmacy chain Rexall – one of the available avenues for the flu vaccine – has temporarily paused its vaccination program citing supply issues; a move that is now seeing countless Hamiltonians have their appointments cancelled.
Other health clinics, pharmacies, and vaccination sites are experiencing similar problems with dose supplies for the vaccine, leaving many Hamiltonians wondering when they’ll be able to get their shots this season.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, roughly one million doses of the flu vaccine have been administered already this year, marking a considerable increase in demand since last year at the same time when only 150,000 vaccines had been administered.
The Ontario government is currently in talks with the federal government and global manufacturers in an effort to obtain more doses of the flu vaccine as soon as possible.
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