Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of Health, seldom minces words.
His hope, he said last week, is that every single dose of influenza vaccine now available in the province ends up in the arm of a Nova Scotian before the flu season begins in late December.
On the face of it, that is a tall order: the province has brought in 493,750 doses of the flu vaccine this year, more than it has ever ordered before.
Typically, just under 40 per cent of Nova Scotians are vaccinated for the virus each season.
But the more people who get their flu shot, regardless of the province in which they live, the better.
Particularly this year.
On average, 12,200 Canadians are hospitalized due to the flu annually, while 3,500 die from flu-related complications.
The old and young are at a higher risk of serious problems related to the flu, but so are pregnant women, those living with chronic health conditions, as well as Indigenous people, and anyone susceptible to COVID-19-related illness.
So, do not be lulled into complacency by the view that the safety protocols used to reduce risk during the pandemic will help protect you from the flu this winter and fall, since influenza and COVID-19 are both spread by water droplet transmission.
As Dr. Strang pointed out in a recent interview with SaltWire, the first wave of COVID-19, mild as it was, nearly overwhelmed Nova Scotia’s health system.
A second wave of the pandemic, coupled with an outbreak of flu would lead to crowded emergency departments across the region. Testing facilities would be overrun. Provincial health-care systems would be sorely tested.
(Let us not forget, either, about the magnified dangers for someone who is unfortunate enough to catch both COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously.)
Which is where the flu shot, now available for free in all four Atlantic provinces, comes in.
The vaccine is not 100 per cent effective. But it is perfectly safe. And it is the single best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu.
Waiting around in the hope of getting one of those high-dose flu shots, which are associated with a higher immune response than the normal vaccine, is not recommended.
Last year, pharmacies in Nova Scotia, for example, reported shortages of the vaccine. When the vaccines do arrive, those in long-term care, or in the hospital waiting for long-term care, are given priority.
So, find out where to go to get your flu shot. If an appointment is needed, make one as soon as possible. This is simply not the year to wait around.
SaltWire Network
