The NWT government says it’s adding flu shot appointments as fast as it can – but some residents are being told the next opening isn’t until January.
Earlier this week, the territory’s chief public health officer said there had been a significant increase in flu across the NWT but particularly in Yellowknife. Wastewater samples also suggest a steady presence of Covid-19 throughout the fall and into winter.
But one resident who tried to get a flu shot told Cabin Radio they had been informed no appointment was available until January 8 – a month away.
“How do they expect us to act” on warnings about flu exposure, the resident wrote, if no appointments are available for weeks?
David Maguire, a spokesperson for the NWT’s health authority, acknowledged there was “continued demand” for appointments in Yellowknife given the recent spike in flu cases.
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“We are adding appointments as we are able, based on staffing ability,” Maguire wrote on Friday.
“So far, we have added an 320 extra vaccination appointments in December beyond usual public health capacity. We encourage anyone who needs an appointment to call public health as we are adding appointments as we are able to secure staffing, so appointments may become available sooner than January.”
Maguire said an initial round of vaccinations at Yellowknife’s dedicated Center Ice Plaza clinic delivered “more than 4,500 doses of influenza and Covid vaccine” between October 16 and November 18. He said the health authority considered those to have been widely advertised.
As of Friday morning, he said more December appointments had been made available.
“We continue to assess ability to add additional vaccine opportunities in areas where we are seeing demand, and will update residents as opportunities become available,” Maguire wrote.
