Ask the Pharmacist

Q: It’s that time of year again and I am looking to see what seasonal vaccines are available and when I might be able to get them?

A: It’s hard to believe we are already well into October and it is time to think about the fall and winter viruses that can cause much havoc for some people.

As some of you may have noticed, there was a recent rise in COVID-19 cases and you may have found yourself recently sick with it. Continue reading to find out when you might be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine if you just recently contracted it.

Each of the seasonal vaccines has its own regulations, though similar, so we have given information on each of them below.

COVID-19 vaccine

As soon as vaccine is available, the following individuals who have previously been vaccinated against COVID-19, are eligible to receive this year’s COVID-19 vaccine:
 

• Anyone age 65 or older
• Age six months or older who is/has:
  • Living in congregated settings, such as retirement home, long-term care home or other residential communal-living settings
  • Pregnant
  • First Nations, Metis, Inuit communities
  • Underlying medical conditions that may increase risk of severe COVID-19

It is best to optimize the seasonal vaccines and, therefore, you may administer the COVID-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine on the same day. In fact, it has been approved for individuals to receive COVID-19 alongside other seasonal vaccines, such as the influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and/or the RSV monoclonal antibody, Beyfortus.

From Oct, 28, all other individuals will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Ontarians will have access to Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. You may have heard that there is now a non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved, Novovax, but it will not be available to us in Ontario for this season.

For those individuals with a known SARS-CoV-2 infection and are previously unvaccinated, it is recommended to get your COVID-19 vaccine eight weeks later or four to eight weeks later for those who are moderately to severely immuno-compromised.

For previously vaccinated individuals who have been sick with a known SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is suggested to get this new version of the vaccine six months (or at least a minimum of three months) after your Covid-19 infection.

Influenza vaccine

For the influenza vaccine, the following is from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and suggests the following individuals, who are at higher risk of influenza-related complications or are more likely to require hospitalization, get vaccinated once it is available:
 

• Residents of congregate-living settings (such as chronic care facilities, retirement homes)
• People age 65 and over
• All pregnant women
• All children age six month to four years
• Individuals in, or from, First Nations, Métis or Inuit communities
• Members of racialized and other equity deserving communities
• Individuals age six months and older with the following underlying health conditions:
  • Cardiac or pulmonary disorders
  • Diabetes mellitus or other metabolic disease
  • Cancer
  • Conditions or medication which compromise the immune system
  • Renal disease
  • Anemia or hemoglobinopathy
  • Neurologic or neurodevelopment conditions
  • Morbid obesity (body mass index of 40 or more)
  • Children and adolescents (age six months to 18 years) undergoing treatment with acetylsalicylic acid for long periods

It is also recommended that health-care workers and first-responders receive the vaccine as soon as it becomes available which does make complete sense. Another subset of individuals that should consider early vaccination are those who have significant exposure to birds or mammals.

Beginning Oct. 28, individuals who do not fall into the select groups listed above but who are highly capable of transmitting influenza to those in the high-risk groups or to infants less than six months of age, should seek getting the influenza vaccine. These people include:
 

• Care providers in the community
• Household contacts (adult and children) of individuals who are at high risk
• Those people who provide care to children under age four
• Those in the household expecting a newborn during the influenza season
• Those providing services in a closed or somewhat closed setting to others at high risk of complications
• People who provide essential community services

As in previous years:
 

• There are quadrivalent inactivated vaccines (QIV) that can be given to anyone age six months and older
• There are select vaccines that may only be administered to those individuals who are age 65 and older. These are:
  • High-Dose Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QAIV-HD)
  • Adjuvanted Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (TIV-adj)

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine

We have recently discussed the RSV vaccines so we won’t go into great detail for this vaccine. It is only publicly-funded for those age 60 and older AND live in a long-term care home, elder home or a retirement home. If you do not fall into this category, you will either have to pay out of pocket for the vaccine, or if you have private insurance, you can send the receipt to see if it will pick up the cost.

Now is a good time to address the timing of the three seasonal vaccines. As in recent years, the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines have been given clearance to be administered at the same time. This year, the RSV vaccine may also be given at the same time as opposed to waiting two weeks.

That being said, it is important to note that since the RSV vaccine is not publicly-funded for the majority of people, the pharmacy is not compensated for the time and/or materials to administer the RSV vaccine. In these cases, you may be requested to pay a professional fee that is customarily charged for all non-publicly-funded administration of vaccines.

Though it sounds like a grand idea to get all three vaccinations in one sitting, your pharmacy may choose to only administer one or two at a specified clinic day to avoid any confusion and ensure that the correct vaccine is given to the correct person. It might be best to opt for another non-clinic administration day to get your RSV vaccine.

Every year, we are asked by some in our community who are hoping to get a head start in their journey to their winter home, if they can get their vaccine before they leave. There are a few items that limit us in our decision:
 

• We do not have input as to when our supply will arrive in our pharmacy. If our recent years are any indication, we may get them very late October or perhaps early November
• We do not get to request a quantity of vaccines. Once again, if previous years are any indication, we will more than likely be limited to a small supply

If you are looking to get your vaccine(s) with us at Gordon Pharmasave, we would appreciate if you would get yourself set up on our registry. It makes setting up the clinic days and sending invitations to a clinic much easier and allows our staff more time to look after your other health-care needs, such as preparing your prescriptions. You can register on-line here: Gordon Pharmasave (bookmyshot.com) or come in and we can help you register on-line.

For more information about this or any other health-related questions, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination. Also check the website at www.gordon-pharmasave.com/ and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GordonPharmasave/