COVID, flu vaccine coverage ‘lower than we would like,’ N.S. Health Department says

It’s all in the numbers for Allison Bodnar.

Part of Bodnar’s daily routine is looking at the COVID and flu vaccine appointments across Nova Scotia. 

From there, the chief administrative officer of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia tries to match vaccine distribution to pharmacies with demand. 

“Demand started to drop early in December and so we’re starting to allocate a little bit less and a little bit less,” Bodnar said in an interview Wednesday.

Bodnar explained that’s because when a COVID vaccine is shipped out to a pharmacy, it’s only good for 30 days before it has to be thrown out. 

“It’s not like flu shots that can stay in the fridge for months on end,” she said. 

Bodnar said it’s a balancing act as fewer people sign up for vaccine appointments, but also recognizing that some people may have had COVID during the fall and may be eligible for their vaccine in February or March. 

People are only eligible for the COVID vaccine if it has been at least six months since their last COVID vaccination or known COVID infection. 

“So the process right now is looking at reducing the number of locations while still making sure there’s a couple of locations in every region of the province,” she said. 

The allocation of vaccines is something Bodnar has become familiar with as the association has been doing so since 2021, when COVID vaccines were first introduced. 

But Bodnar said the number of people getting their COVID vaccine has since dwindled. 

“We had a huge uptake in Nova Scotia (in 2021). Now we’re seeing way less demand,” she said.

Graham MacKenzie,  pharmacist and owner of Stone’s Pharmasave in Baddeck, reflected on when COVID vaccines first became available versus the past few months. 

“When it first came out, we were doing 300 shots in a couple of days every single week,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

“But back in the fall, we were probably doing about 80 per week. Now, the last couple of weeks, we’re probably doing about 30.” 

“We had a huge uptake in Nova Scotia (in 2021). Now we’re seeing way less demand.” 

– Allison Bodnar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Health Department said Nova Scotia’s influenza and COVID vaccine coverage is “lower than we would like.”

As of Tuesday, the overall influenza vaccine coverage in Nova Scotia was 39 per cent, with the highest uptake in the 65+ age category, which ranges from 62 per cent to 72 per cent, depending on the age group. 

Meanwhile, the overall COVID vaccine coverage in Nova Scotia was 21 per cent, with the highest uptake in the 65+ age category, which ranges from 43 per cent to 52 per cent, depending on the age group. 

Thirty-eight per cent of Nova Scotians received their influenza vaccine in the previous influenza season (Aug. 28, 2022 to Aug. 26, 2023).

As of Jan. 3, 85 per cent of Nova Scotians have received one dose of the COVID-19 primary series, with 81 per cent completing their primary series. However, only 10 per cent of Nova Scotians received the fall 2022 booster (Sept. 19, 2022 – June 30, 2023), which is defined as a third dose or greater. 

The Health Department spokesperson said the province’s vaccine supply is good “and there are plenty of appointments available at pharmacies across the province.” 

People can book an appointment online or by calling 1-833-797-7772. 

The Health Department said that as Nova Scotia is in its peak season for respiratory illness, it’s important that people continue to protect themselves and others by:

• getting vaccinated
• staying home if they’re sick
• wearing a mask if they’re sick and can’t stay home 
• regularly washing their hands

“With the flu, RSV and COVID, these three viruses really have the potential to have an impact on our hospital bed counts, so I think what we really need to do is make sure that we’re covered for these,” MacKenzie said. 

Looking ahead to the spring, Bodnar said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has yet to make decisions on what’s to come, such as if there is going to be a spring booster. 

“We’re into January now, so hopefully we will know something in the next couple of months so we can start to plan for spring and summer,” she said.