COVID, flu vaccines in short supply as clinics, pharmacies wait for new supply

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (734 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some Winnipeggers are having trouble securing a COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot appointment as pharmacies and clinics await more doses.

With fall respiratory virus season underway, the earliest available appointments are weeks away at some pharmacies for the latest booster shot targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant. There is a staggered rollout of the vaccine, which first became available in the province Oct. 4. Some clinics and pharmacies have already allocated all of the doses in their first shipment and are waiting for more.

Pharmacies can expect to receive all of their allotted flu shot doses by the end of the month, a provincial government spokesman said Wednesday, acknowledging there initially weren’t enough to go around. There is no shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, the government stated, saying the Moderna booster is available to eligible Manitobans aged six months or older.

“Additional influenza vaccine has already arrived in Manitoba and is currently being allocated and distributed to health-care providers. Throughout the vaccination campaign, all providers can request both influenza and COVID-19 vaccines via scheduled order surveys that align with vaccine supply delivery,” the spokesman stated.

The earliest appointment Gloria Taylor could get is more than a month out. The retiree booked her booster Oct. 17 for a Nov. 30 appointment in the Corydon-Tuxedo area. Pharmacists at two different locations told her they’re all booked up and are waiting for the next batch of doses to arrive.

“I don’t know how widespread that is, but it’s kind of alarming when people like myself can’t get an appointment for over a month,” Taylor said. She noted some locations are taking walk-ins, but that leaves availability up in the air.

“There are many vulnerable populations, and older people are at greater risk, I believe, and many older people don’t have vehicles,” she said. “It’s a bad situation.”

Seniors are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 and respiratory infections, but many must wait for vaccines to be stocked at clinic locations that are convenient for them. Taylor expressed concerns about the implications of waiting.

“It could put pressure on the hospitals,” she said.

The youngest Manitobans are also at higher risk for influenza, and while it’s now possible for COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots to be administered during the same appointment, getting that appointment hasn’t been easy for all parents.

Immunologist Julie Lajoie, who is a mother of two, spent three hours working the phones Tuesday before she was able to book an appointment for her younger daughter. Parents of children under five years old “have been exhausted all the time,” throughout the pandemic, and are now navigating longer waits for an appointment, Lajoie said. The six months to four years old age group was the latest to become eligible for vaccination last year, and now that everyone six months and older is eligible for the XBB booster, demand is high.

It’s a good thing if pharmacies are booked up and more people end up getting vaccinated, Lajoie said, but added she’s afraid more parents will decide to skip vaccinations altogether — flu shots included — if it’s too difficult to book an appointment.

“And then we get kids being more susceptible for both viruses,” Lajoie said.

Some pharmacies aren’t offering vaccines to children younger than five because administering pediatric vaccines requires special training.

Many people don’t have the time, energy or knowledge to spend three hours figuring out where to book, Lajoie said, adding she called phoned Access Clinics and was told they were “done” with administering COVID-19 vaccines, despite being listed on Manitoba’s vaccine finder website. The website (https:http://wfp.to/6zA) shows the Access Clinics aren’t currently taking appointments for the latest booster shot but do have flu shots available.

A call to the Winnipeg West Access clinic Wednesday resulted in being directed to the provincial vaccine hotline (1-844-626-8222), which played an automated message advising callers to go online to book a vaccine. The message stated the phone line was experiencing high call volumes and had “reached our capacity to take new calls. Please try again later.”

Tim Smith, pharmacy practice adviser with Pharmacists Manitoba, said the first shipments of Moderna’s XBB-targeting vaccine were rolled out Oct. 4, and it can take typically three or four weeks for an initial shipment to arrive at pharmacies across the province. The provincial government orders and distributes the vaccine to pharmacies.

Pharmacists want to assure people they’ll be able to get vaccinated, Smith said, noting demand is always highest at the beginning of respiratory virus season. The season typically peaks in January or February.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com