“Every day the vaccine is delayed risks more infection, hospitalization and death of Albertans.”
As cold season fast approaches, an organization representing health professionals is urging the province to inform the public about influenza and COVID-19 immunizations.
Influenza and COVID-19 hospitalizations have begun to rise, according to a news release from the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association, which said there are currently no COVID-19 or influenza vaccines available in Alberta.
“Every day the vaccine is delayed risks more infection, hospitalization and death of Albertans. Once again, healthcare professionals and an underfunded health care system, will be put under stress because of a failure to take prevention seriously,” read the news release.
In the third week of October 2022 and 2023, COVID and influenza numbers began to rise and according to the association will likely happen again as more people move activities indoors, where transmission is more likely to occur.
From Aug. 27, 2023, to Aug. 24, 2024 the province recorded 732 Albertans who died due to COVID-19, down from 973 in the 2023 season.
A majority of the deaths, 453, were among those aged 80 and older but also included four children under the age of 10.
COVID was the most common cause of an outbreak in the province with 1,325 cases, compared to 149 influenza cases.
In 2022, the most recent year the data is available, COVID-19 was the fourth-leading cause of death in the province behind dementia, heart disease, and “other ill-defined and unknown causes,” and ahead of several forms of cancer, drug poisonings and heart attacks.
“Every day these campaigns are delayed, will also increase the stress on the system. We can expect to see emergency wait times increase, ICU and hospital bed occupancy rise and eventually cancellations of elective surgeries,” said the press release.
The association is urging the ministry of health to communicate to the public and health-care professionals when influenza and COVID-19 vaccines will be available to Albertans, where Albertans can get access to them, and release campaign details for the public.
In a statement to Postmedia, Alberta Health said it anticipates fall respiratory virus immunizations will be available beginning on Oct. 15 and will have more to say on the province’s immunization program in the coming week.
“We are currently working with the federal government to procure the fall respiratory virus immunizations authorized by Health Canada,” said the statement.
— With files from Matthew Black