Alberta doctors say province’s attempt to save on COVID shots could cost more

EDMONTON — Alberta doctors say the province’s effort to save money on COVID-19 vaccines could end up costing taxpayers far more in public health-care costs.

Dr. Brian Wirzba, head of the Alberta Medical Association, which represents doctors in the province, says there’s still time for the government to improve public communication about vaccines and make them more accessible.

“In my clinic talking to patients, they’re still confused about how they could even get it,” said Wirzba, who practises internal medicine in Edmonton.

Premier Danielle Smith’s government has said its new policy charging most Albertans $100 for the shot is an effort to reduce wastage and expense. It’s offered various cost estimates but in August pegged the price tag for about 401,000 unused doses last year at $44 million.

“This year, we are trying to mitigate costs because it is an expensive intervention,” Smith said at the time.

Wirzba said that wastage represented a failing of public health, and had those doses been administered, the province probably would have saved money.

“If public health had been doing their job appropriately, we would be having those administered to patients who appropriately should have received them.”

In a Wednesday letter to association members, Wirzba writes that if only five per cent of Albertans are deterred from getting vaccinated, the projected additional health-care costs exceed $65 million in hospitalization costs alone. He wrote that it is not unreasonable to expect that percentage — about 250,000 people — could be deterred simply because they cannot afford it.

His association estimates the province can vaccinate 310 people for the cost of one hospitalization.

Wirzba said the fee, “radically reduced” community access and the online booking system are hurdles.

“Like many Albertans, my mom is not the most tech savvy and needed some help manoeuvring this, and probably would have given up if she had to do it on her own,” he said in an interview.

Wirzba said given the barriers to access, he’d be “shocked” if the province didn’t have a lower uptake than the 485,000 doses it ordered.

“And we’re going to be paying for that with hospitalizations — even deaths, illness, missed work — all sorts of ways that we are going to end up paying for this.”

His warning comes just days after the next phase of the province’s immunization campaign opened for bookings to the general public, with an out-of-pocket cost of $100 per shot.

The first phase, earlier this month, saw appointments become available for groups at higher risk, including those with underlying medical conditions, for no fee. Pharmacies can purchase it directly from suppliers and determine their price, which may be covered by private insurance plans.

But it’s been a struggle for many to book appointments at provincial health clinics this week.

Primary Care Alberta said the Health Link telephone line was inundated with almost 19,700 calls on Monday and Tuesday from Albertans looking to book their COVID vaccine, on top of those seeking other health advice.

Spokesperson Nicole Merrifield acknowledged the call volumes are “causing difficulties,” but urged Albertans to continue calling back. Merrifield said it’s taking longer to book because family bookings need to go through the phone line.

The agency brought in “all available staff” to try to answer phones, extended hours throughout the week and is opening new appointments, including 250 extra slots in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Maddison McKee, spokeswoman for Primary and Preventative Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in a statement that guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization reflects strong population-level immunity, which has led to a much lower risk of severe illness.

“We are seeing this lower risk in our monitoring, with levels of COVID admissions in 2025 to date the lowest since 2020,” McKee wrote.

She said if Albertans go out of province where the vaccine is covered, other provinces would have to foot the bill.

Uptake of the COVID vaccine has been dropping since the height of the pandemic, with only 14 per cent of Albertans receiving it last year.

According to the province’s respiratory virus dashboard, there have been 1,242 cases of COVID this season, with 272 of those cases landing in the hospital.

As of Oct. 11, there were 64 patients in hospital with COVID, with one in an intensive care unit. So far this season, a fraction of a per cent of almost five million Albertans have received the COVID shot.

Wirzba said with those numbers, the Edmonton zone is already seeing challenges with people being hospitalized on stretchers and in hallways.

Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Wednesday the rollout of COVID vaccines has been “a shambles,” and he hasn’t been able to book an appointment online, or get through to Health Link.

“It’s actually about people’s lives and Albertans deserve so much better than what this government is giving us,” Nenshi said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press