Alberta doctors urge province to cover COVID vaccines amid looming viral surge

As Alberta braces for what medical experts predict will be a harsher viral season than last year, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is renewing its call for the provincial government to make COVID-19 vaccinations free and widely accessible.

Dr. Brian Wirzba, president of the AMA, warns that hospitals may not have the capacity to handle the anticipated surge in infections.

“Part of that surge is preventable with an appropriate vaccination strategy,” he said, emphasizing that the province’s current approach is falling short.

The AMA has raised concerns over the rollout of this year’s vaccination campaign, citing confusion around booking appointments, misinformation, and the introduction of a fee for most Albertans seeking the shot.

“If I have to pay $100 for it but my grocery bill is high, I’ve got other bills stacking up,” Wirzba noted, highlighting the financial barriers many residents face.

The provincial government has defended the fee, attributing it to efforts to reduce vaccine wastage. However, Wirzba argues that the wastage issue stems from mismanagement, not public demand, and should not be used to justify shifting costs onto individuals.

To support their position, AMA analysts released a report showing that Alberta could vaccinate approximately 310 people for the cost of a single COVID hospitalization. The report also estimates that if just 5 per cent of Albertans are deterred from getting vaccinated due to the fee, the province could incur more than $65 million in hospitalization costs—far outweighing any savings from reduced vaccine spending.

“We would like to see any barrier to access to vaccinations to those who are candidates for vaccinations to be removed,” Wirzba said.

The AMA’s data suggests that higher vaccine uptake during the 2023–24 season could have prevented around 3,400 hospitalizations and saved the province $100 million in direct healthcare costs.

The report further compares the $110 cost of a single vaccine dose with the $34,000 price tag of a single hospitalization.

In a statement, the Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services says the government is taking a “responsible” and “targeted” approach to COVID vaccines that protects the most at-risk.

“Our approach is in line with current guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which suggests COVID-19 vaccination should be considered optional for healthy, non-senior adults,” reads the statement.

For Wirzba and the AMA, the province’s rationale doesn’t hold up.

“We are talking about something that is going to end up costing Albertans more money with more hospitalizations and more deaths,” he said. “That failure was their responsibility.”