Respiratory vaccine uptake falls below 50 percent across Canada as kids return to school

Fewer than half of Canadians received any respiratory vaccine in the past year, even as doctors warn that flu, COVID-19 and RSV circulation may accelerate with kids returning to school, a new survey shows.

A Merck Canada survey of 1,000 Canadians aged 25 to 75, conducted June 18–23, found 48 percent received none of the surveyed respiratory vaccines. When broken down: 44 percent had the flu shot, 34 percent the COVID-19 vaccine, and only 34 percent received the RSV vaccine. Sixty-four percent said they were unlikely to proactively discuss respiratory illness prevention with a healthcare professional in the next six months.

Dr. Alan Kaplan, chair of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada, called the numbers low and said lack of knowledge about prevention opportunities, particularly for high-risk groups, is a barrier. "Don't be shy about asking your clinician, your pharmacist about vaccination to protect yourself," he said. "it's much better to prevent an illness than treat it."

Ontario Public Health data shows positivity rates for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV remain low overall but are starting to edge higher. COVID-19 positivity in Ontario was up in mid-August to 1.4 percent after dropping to as low as 0.4 percent in July.

Dr. Dale Kalina Samji of McMaster University's Infectious Disease Division pointed to last winter as a cautionary tale: a rough flu season December through January that "felt like some of those COVID waves that we'd seen in the past" in hospitals. When school-age children return, they bring infections home to parents, younger siblings and grandparents — the groups at highest risk for serious outcomes. Doctors recommend vaccinations and keeping sick children at home until symptoms clear.