Vaxed to the max: No sign of vaccine fatigue as N.S. flu shot campaign ramps up
Despite some fears of vaccine fatigue in the region, it would seem Nova Scotian's are anxious to get a flu shot this year.
There are no firm numbers at the moment, but pharmacies are reporting very high demand since the vaccine arrived last week.
There wasn't a lot of flu vaccine left at Greg Richard's pharmacy in north end Halifax Tuesday, but he says he didn't get a particularly big shipment.
Regular customers, like Doug Mullenger, were first in line to get it.
"I believe in the vaccine. I believe in the flu shot and I believe in the shingles shot, and I had the pneumonia shot. I have all the shots," says Mullenger.
Richard says his limited initial shipment didn't go very far.
"I'm definitely seeing a bigger demand. To be honest with you, I wish that I had more vaccine that I could give," says Richard.
It was exactly one week ago the shots started rolling out in some bigger pharmacies and lineups formed almost immediately.
The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) won't have hard numbers for another week, but the woman in charge says no one knew what to expect with the COVID-19 virus still around.
"We were actually questioning whether there would be vaccine fatigue," says PANS CEO Allison Bodnar
"Would people just wrongly assume that their COVID vaccine would be enough?"
According to some pharmacists, that doesn't seem to be the case.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, reinforced the message at a COVID-19 briefing on Oct. 19.
"If you’re booked for a COVID vaccine with your pharmacy, ask them if you can get your flu shot at the same time," said Strang, during a live COVID-19 presser last week.
Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia's health minister, says she's not overly concerned about vaccine fatigue.
"I'm hopeful that the positive campaign that we've had around COVID will encourage people to get the influenza vaccine this year - perhaps people who haven't typically gotten that," says Thompson.
Infants, seniors, and immunocompromised individuals are among those being urged to get the shot sooner rather than later, but anyone who already has flu symptoms should get a COVID-19 first.
Despite the vaccines being completely different, some of the messaging is the same and very familiar, such as its needed duration to provide protection.
Flu season traditionally arrives in late December or early January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.