Quebec pharmacists report slow flu, COVID vaccine supply

Some Quebec pharmacists say flu and COVID-19 vaccine doses are arriving late and in small quantities, 11 days into the province’s fall vaccination campaign, Radio-Canada reported Saturday.

The campaign began Oct. 13, and the Quebec government says it aims to vaccinate at least eight in 10 people in the groups most at risk of complications from influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.

Zan He, who owns a pharmacy in Pincourt, Que., told Radio-Canada his stock on Wednesday morning was 406 flu doses, only 40 of them for people under 75, along with 205 COVID-19 doses and 88 RSV doses. He said 223 of his 224 appointment slots through the end of October were booked and that November was already full with 564 appointments.

Another pharmacy owner in the Lévis area, who spoke to the broadcaster on condition of anonymity, said her pharmacies had received 250 of 550 flu doses ordered. As of Oct. 22, flu supply had improved, she said, but she had received only about one-quarter of her COVID-19 pre-order. Some pharmacies have stopped offering flu shots because of the uncertainty, Radio-Canada reported.

The Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires acknowledged the frustration and said it is working with Santé Québec and wholesalers to make deliveries more predictable.

Hugues Mousseau, who represents pharmacy distributors, said partial early deliveries are normal because doses arrive in at least three waves. He said wholesalers send doses out almost as soon as they are received, but depend on agreements Quebec and Ottawa strike with manufacturers.

Santé Québec told Radio-Canada it receives doses nationally in three lots, consults pharmacies each year on their needs and leaves distribution to wholesalers.

Mousseau proposed keeping the free-vaccination eligibility criteria stable from year to year and letting wholesalers buy vaccines directly and resell them at cost, as they do for about 15,000 other drug products. That would mean replacing the government’s current consignment model, he acknowledged.

Zan He called for a return to universal free flu vaccination, as in Ontario.

People can book vaccination appointments through Clic Santé or by phone depending on their region. For other vaccines available across the country, see our guides to the meningococcal vaccine by province and who gets the hepatitis A vaccine free. Earlier this week, Quebec also unlocked more money for the province’s emergency homelessness response.

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Sources: Radio-Canada; Quebec government news release, Oct. 13, 2026.