Health PEI gives pharmacists 500 more flu shots to use

P.E.I. pharmacists have received an extra 500 doses of flu vaccine from Health PEI.

The P.E.I. Pharmacists Association executive director Erin MacKenzie said some pharmacists ran out during the holidays and the extra supply should help meet the demand.

MacKenzie said pharmacists have administered close to 14,000 flu vaccines to patients this flu season.

"I have had the opportunity to speak to some people that I have administered the vaccine to myself and a lot of them have mentioned specifically that they had never gotten the flu shot before. And because they saw it in pharmacies and it was kind of front of mind, they came to ask about it and they actually received it for the first time," said MacKenzie.

"So it is opening the flu shot up to a whole new group of people. And we're hoping that that will help to see an increase in uptake province-wide of the flu shot."

Island pharmacists began to administer the flu shot last year and administered close to 10,000 flu vaccines.

Flu vaccines are also available at public health clinics and from doctors.