Alberta government weighs future of COVID-19 vaccination as federal program winds down

The future of Alberta's COVID-19 vaccination program is unclear with federal funding set to end this summer.

Ottawa has been paying for the shots and distributing them across the country since they became available.

But the Public Health Agency of Canada quietly announced, last week, the provinces and territories will take over purchasing their own supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

"This approach is consistent with the approach for vaccines used in regular immunization programs," a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spokesperson said in a statement emailed to CBC News.

"Provinces and territories will determine vaccine eligibility and the optimal timing for vaccination by considering factors such as the availability of updated vaccines and the trends associated with COVID-19 in their jurisdiction."

According to PHAC, there is enough supply of the federally funded vaccines to last through this spring. After that, provinces will be responsible for determining how many doses they want to order.

'Significant cost'

What that means for Albertans is unclear.

The provincial government is still working out its plan and appears to be undecided on the question of providing the vaccine — for free — to Albertans. 

A spokesperson for the Health Minister told CBC News the province is reviewing the new recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), and Alberta Health is drafting policy options for consideration.

"We recognize there would be a significant cost associated with providing more provincially funded immunizations and as we look towards Budget 2025, Alberta's government is reviewing funding allocations across all ministries to ensure we are funding the priorities most important to Albertans," the health minister's office said in an email.

Edmonton-based infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Stephanie Smith, said it's difficult to predict what the province will do.

"COVID seems to be so politically fraught. When you look at influenza vaccination, it's available to everyone. It's free of charge," said Smith, who works at the University of Alberta Hospital.

"I think we should be thinking of it kind of like influenza."

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She expects there will likely be some funding for COVID-19 vaccination in Alberta. But how much, and who will be eligible, are key questions, she said.

"Giving a vaccine to someone is a lot less expensive than having them come into hospital and have a hospitalization," Smith said. "So those who are at high risk — those who have comorbid medical conditions, advanced age, pregnancy — certainly we would hope that they would continue to fund vaccine for those populations."

Funding the shots for health-care workers should also be a priority, she said.

"I think there are certainly populations that you could easily justify obviously from a patient perspective, but a budgetary perspective as well," she said.

Healthy people can benefit from an annual COVID-19 shot as well, said Smith, who would like to see it offered for free to all who want to get vaccinated.

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But COVID-19 immunization rates are dropping in the province.  

Since the end of August, 12.8 per cent of Albertans have received a shot. It was 17 per cent during the previous year.

"There is evidence that demonstrates any kind of financial barrier decreases uptake," said Fiona Clement, a professor in the department of community health sciences at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. 

"I would expect that number to drop lower with the introduction of a financial barrier."

According to the federal government, NACI will continue to provide immunization guidance, which includes cost-effectiveness analyses to help support provincial decision-making.

Clement said NACI's recommendations are evidence-based and she hopes the province follows them.

"What I'd love to see is clarity around how to get vaccinated, who will be eligible," Clement said. "I'd love to see public funding for this vaccination continued. And I'd love to see really wide, easily accessible vaccination programs so that we can increase uptake in the province."

Meanwhile, the Alberta government said work is underway to secure doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the next respiratory virus season and it will release more details in the coming months.