Flu season starts early in NWT as vaccine clinics begin

As the flu vaccine becomes available in the Northwest Territories, some people are already getting sick.

In the territory and across Canada, flu season started in early October and flu activity has been gradually increasing since.

“It is unique to have a season start so early,” NWT chief public health officer Dr Kami Kandola told Cabin Radio.

She said flu season typically starts in November or December.

Territorial wastewater monitoring data collected between October 11 and 24 shows Influenza A and Covid-19 were detected at moderate viral load levels in Yellowknife. The flu was not detected in Fort Simpson and there was insufficient data for Behchokǫ̀ during that period.

As of October 17, national surveillance data indicates flu activity was moderate in British Columbia, the Yukon and Nunavut, low in the NWT and Alberta, and very low elsewhere in the country.

Kandola said to date, the territory has had 20 confirmed cases of the flu and one hospitalization, with 60 percent of those cases in Yellowknife.

She said the winter holiday season is when the territory tends to see increased, widespread sickness.

“Everybody shares presents, they share food, but they also share viruses,” she said.

H1N1 is currently the dominant flu strain in Canada, for which Kandola said the vaccine is “a good match.”

“If you are getting vaccinated, you can rest assured that the strain we’re seeing in NWT and the rest of Canada is the strain you’ll be protected against,” she said.

The World Health Organization studies worldwide trends and recommends strains for flu vaccines in the northern hemisphere each February, giving manufacturers time to produce the quantity of vaccine needed.

Timing of vaccines

Flu vaccine clinics in the North have started a bit later than in the south, where most provinces began offering flu vaccines to the general public in mid-October.

In the NWT, Kandola said, the vaccine was made available last week to staff and residents of long-term care facilities as well as healthcare workers.

Fort Smith began offering the vaccine to residents on October 19, Hay River on October 26, Ndılǫ on October 28, and Dettah on October 29.

In Yellowknife, a vaccine clinic for seniors aged 65-plus is set to take place at the Baker Community Centre on October 30, followed by a clinic at the Lakeshore Co-op on October 31 and a clinic for families with children aged under five at the multiplex on November 1.

More walk-in clinics are set to take place at Centre Square Mall in November.

Dates, times and locations for vaccine clinics across the territory can be found on the NWT health authority’s website.

In the legislature last week, Great Slave MLA Kate Reid questioned why the territory gets flu shots later than the provinces.

Lucy Kuptana, who was acting as health minister at the time, said clinic dates are planned based on local and national surveillance data, vaccine availability and clinic resources, with the aim of keeping residents protected throughout flu season.

“Protection may fade just when flu activity is the highest. So if we give the flu shot too early, then protection wanes early in the winter,” she said.

Kandola said the NWT gets vaccines in mid to late September. They are then distributed regionally. She said vaccine clinics have to be planned well in advance as they require extra staff, while each region plans and administers its own clinics.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI – an external body which provides advice on the use of vaccines to the Public Health Agency of Canada – said vaccination before the onset of flu season is preferred and delays can result in “lost opportunities to prevent infection.”

The committee said, however, that flu vaccines can still be administered throughout the season.

‘You can protect yourself’

The NWT’s top doctor is strongly encouraging northerners to get vaccinated against the flu.

Kandola said uptake for the flu vaccine is generally only around 20 percent in the NWT. According to the health department, 15.6 percent of eligible residents got the vaccine in 2024 and 16.3 percent in 2025.

“My appeal is to those people who typically don’t get vaccinated, to realize the flu is here,” Kandola said. “You can protect yourself, because nobody wants to be in bed during the holiday period.”

The flu and Covid-19 vaccines are free of charge. Anyone in the NWT aged six months and older can get one.

Kandola said it generally takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to take full effect.

You cannot get the flu from the vaccine.

During the week of October 12, 227 flu-associated hospitalizations were reported across the country, with most involving people aged 65 and older. Since August 30, a total of nine flu-related deaths have been reported in Canada.

Last season, Kandola said, the NWT saw 69 hospitalizations for respiratory viruses, 34 of which involved the flu. She said there were three flu-related deaths in the territory.

Beyond getting vaccinated, Kandola said you can protect yourself and others from getting sick by washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, cleaning surfaces you touch, staying home if you’re sick, and wearing a mask in crowded spaces.

“People forget during the Covid pandemic all the things that we did to maintain good hygiene, not trying to infect other people,” she said

You can strengthen your immune system, Kandola said, by eating healthy food, exercising, sleeping well and reducing substance use.

She added that residents can call 811 any time to speak to a registered nurse if you have questions or need advice.

“You do not have to go through this alone,” she said.