Monday marks the day when anyone over the age of two can roll up their sleeves for a free influenza shot and updated COVID-19 vaccine, previously only available to high risk groups.
Pharmacist Pratik Patel says if the one-day vaccine clinic his pharmacy held two weeks ago is any indication of demand, it will be a busy week across the region.
During that clinic at St. Andrews Pharmasave, they administered 45 double shots for flu and COVID to walk-in clients over the age of 65.
Both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant will be available at pharmacies and regionally run clinics starting Oct. 30. Appointments can be booked through the provincial vaccination portal.
Most pharmacies, however, including Patel's, offer walk-in service where the average time it takes between patients walking through their door to walking out, is about 20 to 30 minutes, including 15 minutes for post shot monitoring.
He suggests anyone who wants to get both shots quickly should come into the pharmacy after 5 p.m. when the medical clinic in their shared space closes for the day.
"People were suffering last year," says Patel who thinks business will be brisk.
Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam urged Canadians to get the updated COVID shot as the number of positive cases and hospitalizations from the virus began to increase in advance of the respiratory virus season earlier this month.
The latest Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool update for October 8-14 shows there have been 207 confirmed cases of influenza total so far this season, and 2,519 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of Friday in Waterloo region, there were four cases of flu reported this season, 151 new cases of COVID and 17 active outbreaks in high risk settings. Local hospitals are treating 61 people with COVID.
A new report conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of the Canadian Pharmacists Association revealed that despite the fact that the shots are more accessible than ever, over half of Ontarians say they're experiencing ‘vaccine fatigue.’
The survey found that 60 per cent of those polled say they will get the flu shot this year regardless, and when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly half indicated they plan on getting the updated shot.
Both immunizations can be administered at the same time, in one appointment where available.
Patel says his customers appreciate the convenience of having a pharmacy in their neighbourhood where they can go for walk-in immunizations and other healthcare services.
Since the start of this year, when the province granted Ontario pharmacists the authority to assess and prescribe treatment for 19 common ailments, pharmacists conducted over 400,000 assessments.
That amounts to an average of 1,460 patients each day who may have previously needed to book a doctor's appointment, wait at a walk-in clinic, or visit urgent care or the ER.
