An emailed statement from the province assured that all pharmacies that have made orders should receive supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the week
Some Calgary pharmacies are still waiting to get their supply of COVID-19 vaccines, while others say they are running out of supplies for high-dose flu vaccines and are unsure when they may get their next shipment.
However, delays in distribution have meant that while Albertans can go ahead and book their flu shots, some may have to wait until the end of this week to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment at their closest pharmacy.
Matthew Giroux, pharmacy manager for Cambrian Pharmacy said his pharmacy will receive their supply of vaccines by Friday afternoon. “They just said (the vaccines) came late to the province,” he said of the province’s communication on why the vaccines are delayed.
Almost every other person who has visited the pharmacy to receive a flu vaccination has asked about when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available, he added.
David Brewerton, pharmacy manager for Lukas Pharmacy said people had been asking about the COVID-19 vaccines every day for “weeks and weeks.” His pharmacy, he said, is scheduled to receive their shipment tomorrow and will be able to distribute shots once they receive their supply.
Rideau Pharmacy, located near downtown Calgary, received their shipment of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, according to local pharmacist Emily Nowlan. However, the shipment only contains supplies of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccines.
Nowlan said she isn’t sure when they would receive a supply of the Pfizer vaccines.
There is a lot of public interest in the vaccines, she said, with people asking about their availability every day. “In the weeks leading up, people are always asking when they are available,” she said.
Chris Chow, pharmacy manager at Richmond Square Pharmacy confirmed that his team is stocked with vaccines for both flu and COVID-19, with the latter having arrived Oct. 12.
On Tuesday alone, his team had vaccinated almost 50 people against COVID-19, he said.
According to an emailed statement from Alberta Health, the province has contracted four pharmacy whole distributors to ship vaccines, one of which has experienced a delay. “However, they are committed to getting vaccines to communities pharmacies impacted by October 18,” the statement reads. “By Friday, all pharmacies that made orders should have them filled.”
As of Wednesday, 24.6 per cent of Alberta’s population has been immunized against influenza, over half of whom are 65 years and older, the province’s respiratory virus dashboard shows.
High-dose flu vaccine in demand
Some pharmacists have also said that their supplies for the high-dose flu vaccine are also dwindling and they aren’t sure when they might get their next shipment.
A spokesperson for the Alberta Pharmacist’s Association said in an email that pharmacies that get their supplies from McKesson, a pharmaceutical supplier, might be impacted by a supply disruption.
Don O’Connell, pharmacist at the Mint Health + Drugs Blue Bottle Pharmacy said his team received a notice from the supplier on Tuesday that their inventory has been depleted.
The notice, he said, did not specify when the inventory would be replenished and only stated that the doses will be available for reorder once inventory is available.
If their supplies run out before they can be replenished, O’Connell said they would have to offer the standard flu doses to seniors who ask for them.
The high-dose flu has a potency that’s four times stronger than that of the standard dose and offers a better immune response to seniors with fewer side effects, he explained.
Generally demand for high-dose flu vaccines tends to be high within the first couple of weeks of immunizations, according to Randy Howden, who owns the Crowfoot and Sunridge Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy & Compounding Centre.
“Seniors and high-risk individuals that are really wanting to get vaccinated want it early,” he said. There are also snowbirds, i.e. Canadians who travel south for the colder months, who want to get vaccinated prior to travel and senior congregate living facilities who want a pharmacist to be able to come and provide the vaccinations on-site.
Due to the high demand, his pharmacy tends to carry out up to 70 per cent of their total high-dose flu vaccinations within the first couple of weeks of the immunization season.
There are often hiccups associated with supplies for high-dose flu vaccines every year, Howden said, although the reasons for which can vary. “It seems to me there’s always a constraint on how much you can order each week,” he said.
While the team tries to anticipate any delays and cancel any booked appointments in advance, they have still had to deal with angry and frustrated customers who walk in and ask for a vaccine. “We’ve been yelled at multiple times in the past,” Howden said.
“It’s not a great feeling as a health practitioner, going into a season where you want to support your community, knowing that there’s going to be a battle to get the supplies that you need to make good on what the community needs,” he said.