Extra precautions implemented at some pharmacies for flu shots this year

Flu shots will become available to the general public on Oct. 19 in Saskatchewan.

While the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) are still ironing out exactly how those vaccines will be delivered in a safe and timely manner during the COVID-19 pandemic, some pharmacies already have a plan in place.

Shawn Robinson is a pharmacist and the Alberta/Saskatchewan regional operations manager for London Drugs. He says his company will begin taking appointments online Oct. 1.

There will be no walk-ins allowed this year.

“We needed a way to deal with crowd control. If we just simply accept walk-ins at all of our locations, the biggest problem with that is we could have 500 people lined up outside our stores not physically distanced. So, we came up with doing the online-only booking this year simply to help with crowd control, and people are requesting it these days.”

When online booking becomes available, a sign-up process will request all of the information necessary. You’ll be able to find the appropriate store and select an available time and week. Bookings will be taken 2-3 weeks in advance only.

There will be rules to follow when going in for a flu shot as well.

“We do encourage everyone to wear a mask when they come in. We don’t want you to bring in extra accessories with you; extra jackets, extra purses etc., as well as extra people,” explained Robinson.

That means for example, for a family of four coming in, only two people can go into a room at a time. The other two will have to schedule an additional appointment.

“We don’t want a crowd of people of five or six or seven inside our private counselling rooms all at the same time, obviously, with physical distancing going on. So, we’ve restricted to just family cohorts and groups of two this year.”

The rooms will be set up in the pharmacy area, and there will also be a separate waiting area for those after they receive their shots to ensure there isn’t a negative reaction.

Depending on the pharmacy, company and location, there may be variations to the practices and safety protocols required.

Robinson says looking at Australia, there was a 30-40 per cent increase in people getting their flu shots this year, but there have also been fewer people getting the vaccine.

This year’s vaccine, he says, is similar to last year’s quadrivalent vaccine that protects against four types of the flu.

Lastly, Robinson says you’ll need to bring your health card with you, and to show up on time for your appointment- not early.

“We don’t want a buildup of people in the store, so as long as you come on time, or as close to being on time as you can…. and wear clothing that allows for easy access to your upper arm.”

According to the SHA website, a full list of flu shot clinics will also be released Oct. 1. You can find out more information here.