Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government has recently implemented another polarizing new policy. This policy puts the burden on many Albertans to pay out of pocket for their COVID-19 vaccinations. Earlier last week, those officials made an admirable decision in focusing on getting the vaccine to those who are in greatest need first. They will reimburse expenses for those with weakened immune systems and individuals supported by income assistance programs.
The new policy is a significant shift from Alberta’s previous vaccination approach. Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccines are already priced at about $110 per shot. Smith underscored the importance of this policy in truly being urgent. He noted that the government wasted $135 million on expired, unused vaccine doses last year.
Public health experts have warned about the impact of this policy. Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Alberta, reacted with bewilderment to Smith’s prioritization approach. She put down the idea that healthy people who want to get vaccinated should be deprioritized. This is especially crucial given the known severe health risks of COVID-19 and influenza.
“It’s those that are healthy, that choose to do it because they’ve talked to their doctors, those are the ones that will have a little bit lesser priority.” – Danielle Smith
The policy is a direct outgrowth of these long-standing recommendations issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Their new recommendations struck a chord in discouraging vaccination of healthy pregnant women and children. There’s more to vaccination than simply mitigating risks inherent to one’s profession, according to Dr. Saxinger. It’s just as important for defending patients too.
Charging for vaccines will most likely build barriers to vaccine access and enforcement and will eventually cost our healthcare more. Public health experts in Alberta are sounding the warning bells. They argue that the new policy is likely to cause increased hospitalizations and risk of serious complications due to decreased vaccination rates. With last year’s Alberta influenza vaccination rate at just 21%, there’s even more cause to worry about the impact on public health.
Adults 65 and older are at greater risk of death upon infection from both COVID-19 and influenza. These risks range from pneumonia to heart attack to stroke. Vaccination can significantly mitigate these risks. Weighing the risks of hospitalization, Dr. Saxinger reiterated that COVID-19 and influenza vaccines are both effective at preventing severe illness. He noted their comparable ability to decrease associated morbidities.
“They’re probably pretty similar in terms of how much potential they have to prevent severe illness — hospitalization, death, and then all those other things that come on the heels of both influenza and COVID.” – Dr. Lynora Saxinger
The ramifications of this policy may extend beyond Alberta, as it could set a precedent for other provinces across Canada. In March 2022, the federal government shifted the responsibility for buying COVID-19 vaccines to individual provinces. This decision greatly increased the stakes for public health policy efforts nationwide.
