Quebec is getting ready for flu season, hoping COVID-19 measures will help keep it at bay

Quebec's flu vaccination program starts next week and and it will look very different from past years because of the pandemic.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, the province's public health director, says Quebec has purchased 30 per cent more doses of the vaccine than in previous years, for a total of more than two million doses.

With that, it hopes to be able to cover everyone it considers vulnerable to complications of the flu, including those who are vulnerable but haven't gotten the vaccine in previous years — as well as people who would like to get it but are not at risk. 

Arruda said the government ordered the extra doses in anticipation of increased demand for the flu vaccine this year, due to COVID-19. 

Vaccination begins Nov. 1 and is by appointment only this year because of distancing measures. 

Hundreds of Quebecers have already signed up but many have had trouble getting an appointment. 

Who can get it?

Health officials say the vaccines aren't all being delivered at once and that thousands more slots will open in the coming weeks. 

They are prioritizing people they consider at risk, including those who are or have:

• 75 years and older.
• Weakened immune system.
• Chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney issues. 
• Diabetes.
• Trouble creating respiratory secretions, such as saliva.
• Pregnant, in their second or third trimester.
• People in close contact with any of the above.

Those who meet the criteria can get the vaccine for free. In previous years, Quebecers between the ages 60 and 74 were also considered at-risk.

They are no longer in that category this year, according to the government, but can get the vaccine for free. Though, health officials are asking them to wait a few weeks before requesting an appointment to leave space for other priority populations. 

What can we expect from the flu this year?

Health officials say they are hoping distancing measures will help prevent thousands from getting the flu this year, as they appear to have done in Australia. The country reported 107 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu in August compared to 61,000 in August 2019. 

Dr. Nadine Sicard, an infectious disease specialist at Quebec's public health institute, said Quebec doctors haven't reported any cases of the flu yet this season. 

But Arruda said the province still wants to make sure people get vaccinated. 

"It's not something to be played with," he told reporters in a virtual briefing Wednesday. "The influenza virus is a villain that can surprise us."

Epidemiologist Gaston De Serres said there are typically between 5,000 and 8,000 hospitalizations due to the flu every year in Quebec. The hope is that there will be far fewer this flu season. 

He said the vaccine's effectiveness can only be measured once a fair number of people have had the virus, usually starting in November, with results by the end of January.

But he pointed to the experience in Australia, where there wasn't enough of a sample size to come up with a reliable answer.

"If that's the case here, we won't complain," De Serres said.

Where can I get vaccinated?

Another thing that's new this year with Quebec's flu shot program is that pharmacies can offer it with an appointment. Around 650,000 doses are being delivered to pharmacies across the province.

The vaccine is also being offered in long-term care homes, seniors' residences and other centres where people at risk of complications may live. Hospitals can also give it to people who are on site for other reasons. 

Why does vaccination begin Nov. 1?

Some have pointed out Ontario's flu vaccination program began in September this year.

Sicard said over the years, Quebec decided to push back the local program to Nov. 1 because of frequent delays in the delivery of the vaccines, which complicated administering them. 

She added that influenza is rarely detected in Quebec before November and that the vaccine's effectiveness diminishes after some months.

So, with another flu season typically arising in March in the province, it made more sense to vaccinate people later, in order to be protected the second time around.