TORONTO —
The first of 32 flu shot clinics being held by Toronto Public Health is taking place today at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre but if you haven’t booked an appointment yet you may be out of luck.
The city began accepting online bookings for its flu shot clinics on Tuesday but as of 9 a.m. this morning the first 11 clinics had already been fully booked, meaning that the earliest that anyone can get an appointment at a Toronto Public Health clinic is now Nov. 12.
City officials, however, have pointed out that residents can still get a flu shot at their doctor’s office or a participating pharmacy.
Toronto Public Health will also continue to offer flu shot clinics into December this year, with most of the later clinics still listing hundreds of available appointment times.
“My understanding from the province is that they have confidence in the supply of flu vaccine but demand this year means getting your flu shot may require a little extra planning and a little extra patience,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said during a briefing on Wednesday afternoon. “A big part of outsmarting COVID-19 will be by getting a flu shot.”
Toronto Public Health has increased the number of flu shot clinics it is holding this year due to an expected increase in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But it has also had to move to an appointment-only system due to the need to ensure physical distancing, meaning that they may not be able to accommodate as many people at each clinic as in past years.
Prior to receiving her vaccine, de Villa pointed out that there are 500 local pharmacies providing flu shots this year in addition to healthcare practitioners.
She said that Toronto Public Health will also be operating its clinics at four separate locations to ensure that everyone has the chance to get vaccinated.
“You often hear the phrase let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. I only need you to roll up one sleeve but I hope you will and give the flu a hard time this year rather than having the flu give you one,” she said. “Because of COVID-19 this often feels like a world over which we don’t have a lot of control. Getting the flu shot is something you can do that allows you to be in control. Like the coronavirus, the flu virus seeks the opportunity to spread but it needs us to do it so let’s not make that easy.”
The province has ordered approximately 5.1 million flu vaccine doses this year compared to the 4.4 million doses it ordered last year.
The hope is that if more people get vaccinated, the province will be able to reduce the 5,719 influenza-related hospitalizations it saw last year, preserving capacity in the health-care system for COVID-19 patients.
