Province urges Ontarians to get flu shot along with COVID-19 vaccines

Everyone in Ontario will be eligible for a free flu shot starting in November, and the province wants Ontarians to get the jab along with a COVID-19 shot.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended COVID-19 vaccinations be administered at the same time as a flu shot, and the province is encouraging anyone who hasn’t received two doses of the COVID-19 to do so.

“If you’re getting your flu shot and have yet to received your first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, now is definitely the time,” Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health said on Tuesday.

Some at-risk Ontarians can already get a flu shot throughout the month of October. This includes seniors, children between 6-months and four-years-old, pregnant women and individuals at high risk of flu complications.

Flu vaccines will be available for all Ontarians through pharmacies, doctor and nurse practitioner offices and public health units.

Some health regions, including Peel Public Health, have opted not to run mass immunization clinics due to the “extensive resources required” for COVID-19 response and will instead make shots available through pharmacies, family doctors’ offices and walk-in clinics.

Elliott said the province has purchased over 7.6 million doses of the influenza for the 2021-2022 flu season, which is approximately 1.4 million more doses than last year.

For more information on the flu and getting a flu shot visit Ontario.ca/flu.