More than 100K appointments booked as Quebec fall vaccination campaign kicks off

More than 100,000 appointments were booked within hours of the province’s seasonal vaccination campaign kicking off Tuesday as health officials warn of an early start to the flu season.

Health officials are urging Quebecers, especially, those who are at risk of complications from respiratory viruses to get vaccinated.

Appointments for the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shots will start from Oct. 20. Reservations can be made online through Clic Santé starting Tuesday.

However, only some Quebecers considered to be particularly vulnerable will be able to get the vaccinations for free, while everyone else would have to pay for the jabs. The cost varies between $30 and $50.

Shots will be offered free of charge for seniors aged 65 and older, people living in senior residences and long-term care centres, those living with chronic diseases, pregnant women.

Caregivers and those who live with vulnerable groups like children under 6 months of age, seniors over 75 years, pregnant women and those with certain chronic illnesses are also eligible to get the vaccination for free. Some groups are also eligible for free RSV vaccinations.

Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, Quebec’s director of public health, says that current the trends showed that the flu season will begin early this year.

According to Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) data, the flu positivity rate (Influenza Type-A virus) went up to 2.4 per cent between Sept. 27 andOct. 3 compared to 1.4 per cent a week ago.COVID-19 rates remained stable registering 5.0 per cent during the same period.

“Every year, we look at the number of positive tests out of all the tests that have been conducted, and when that figure exceeds 1.96 per cent for two consecutive weeks, we say that the season appears to be well underway. So, it’s earlier than in other years. It’s not the earliest on record, but we can see that the rate is rising steadily, albeit gradually,” explained Dr. Quach-Thanh.

She recommended Quebecers to get their vaccines ahead of the holidays.

Flu vaccines take two weeks to be fully effective and their effect last at least six months. For COVID-19 vaccines, a person should wait six months after a previous dose to get a new dose. Vaccination is safe for people who have had COVID-19 recently.

The protection rate of the flu vaccine varies from year to year. Its effectiveness depends on how well it matches the predominant flu strain, but sometimes a strain in the vaccine differs from those circulating in the community.

Flu vaccination is nevertheless recommended by public health authorities because it protects against the other strains included in the vaccine. Getting a flu shot therefore reduces the risk of contracting the virus, spreading it to others, and also lowers the risk of hospitalization.

The most common complications of the flu are dehydration caused by fever, pneumonia, bronchitis (especially in infants under 1 year of age), sinusitis, and ear infections.

The government aims to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of people in the highest-risk groups against the flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Last year, that rate was around 60 per cent, Dr. Quach-Thanh noted.

Within a few hours of the start of the campaign on Tuesday morning, more than 100,000 appointments were scheduled.

“That’s significantly more than last year,” said Martine Leblanc-Constant, director of public health operations at Santé Québec. “In terms of demand, it’s comparable to the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic—it’s enormous.”