CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Flu season is here, and a local pharmacist said he has noticed an increase in the number of people coming in to get their flu shots.
Kevin Thompson, who works at the Queen Street Shoppers Drug Mart in Charlottetown, said better awareness and the ease of availability in getting the flu shot are possible factors for the increase.
“There seems to be a lot more uptake,” he said. “We’ve given out more this year than last year.”
She said the rate of vaccine uptake has been “very steady”. Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, said that as of late November, 57,250 doses of the influenza vaccine have been distributed to pharmacies, public health nursing, physician offices and clinics across the province.
“We’ve actually obtained 4,000 additional doses of extra vaccine because of increased uptake in the early part of this season, and we wanted to make sure we had more than we did last year.”
There’s still time for people to get their flu vaccine. Morrison said they tend to see an increase in cases in December and January, and the vaccine takes up to two weeks for it to be effective.
“It’s good to get it sooner, so that it has a chance to build the immunity.”
As of Nov. 22, there have been two lab-confirmed cases of influenza on the Island, but Morrison said they were travel-related, and those affected were not hospitalized.
Morrison wants to remind Islanders that influenza is a highly contagious virus that causes fever, sore throat, tiredness/fatigue, cough and muscle aches. It is spread through coughing and sneezing.
“You can even become infected if you touch an object that someone else with the flu has touched, and then if you touch your own eyes or mouth after that,” she said, adding it’s respiratory so it comes in through the mucus membranes.
Everyone who is six months of age and older is encouraged to get the influenza vaccine.
Groups in particular that should get the flu shot:
- Children
- Pregnant women
- Those with chronic conditions such as heart or lung disease
- People who are 65+ years old,
- Residents of nursing homes and chronic care facilities
- Those who may be in contact with any of these groups, like health-care workers
This year’s shot protects against four strains of the influenza virus. While the flu shot isn’t going to prevent influenza 100 per cent of the time, Morrison said it reduces the risk of hospitalization and complications related to influenza.
Both Morrison and Thompson encourage residents to get their flu shots.
“It’s obviously for protection for yourself against influenza, but it’s also protection for your family members,” Thompson. “The more people that get it, the more people get protected.”
“Stay at home if you’re sick, cough into your sleeve and wash your hands a lot as well,” added Morrison.
For information about where to get the flu shot, click here.