Alberta Changes COVID Vaccine Policy, Requires Those Not Deemed ‘High Risk’ to Pay

A vial of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at an Alberta Health Services vaccination clinic in Didsbury, Alta., on June 29, 2021. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

Starting this fall, some Alberta residents who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be required to pay the full cost of the vaccine, the government says.

The federal government has been paying for COVID vaccines since 2020, although usually the cost of vaccines is the responsibility of the provinces. In April, the procurement process for the COVID vaccine changed, and Ottawa stopped covering the cost, meaning the provinces are responsible for purchasing doses.

The Alberta government announced on June 13 that the cost will need to be passed along to patients because of wastage in past years. It said about 54 percent, or one million doses, of the COVID vaccines were wasted from 2023–2024, costing an estimated $135 million.

“In previous years, we’ve seen significant vaccine wastage,” said Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange.

“By shifting to a targeted approach and introducing pre-ordering, we aim to better align supply with demand – ensuring we remain fiscally responsible while continuing to protect those at highest risk.”

The government said it “remains committed to ensuring Albertans who are at highest risk due to COVID-19 have access to immunizations.” It said 485,000 doses have been ordered for the 2025–2026 immunization season.

The opposition NDP is against the change, describing it as “cruel” and saying it puts a “financial burden” on those looking to protect themselves and their families.

“This is privatization. This does not support good public health outcomes,” NDP critic for health, Sarah Hoffman, said in a video post on social media.

Hoffman said the government should promote vaccines to eliminate waste and protect Albertans’ health.

“That way the supply would get used and we would keep ourselves and our loved ones safe,” she said in a statement. 

The non-profit group Friends of Medicare said the decision is not based on the “best medical evidence available.”

“The fact this announcement was put out quietly, late on a Friday afternoon, shows a government who’s hoping the majority of Albertans don’t notice these policy changes and the new costs soon to be coming their way,” executive director Chris Gallaway said.

Vaccine Rollout

The government said it would roll out the vaccines in four phases, with residents at highest risk receiving COVID immunization for free.

In the first phase, the vaccine will be offered for free to residents who live in seniors supportive living and home care clients.

In phase two, children six months and older with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions, and those on social programs like income support and homeless individuals, will be offered the vaccine for free.

The vaccine will be made available to all Alberta residents over the age of 65 in phase three. However, those in this group wanting the vaccine will be required to cover the “full costs,” the government said.

It said it has yet to be determined what the final cost will be, but estimates each dose will cost $110.

In the last phase, any remaining COVID vaccines will be made available at full cost to any Alberta resident.

Vaccines will no longer be offered at pharmacies. Those interested in receiving it will need to do so through a public health clinic.

Residents who are eligible for the vaccine must pre-order it through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System, starting on Aug. 11.

COVID Task Force

The decision comes after a task force report said the vaccine should not be offered to patients without a full disclosure of potential risks.

The report, “Alberta’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response,” was written by the province’s COVID-19 review task force, the only one of its kind in the country. It was commissioned in 2022 by Premier Danielle Smith and released earlier this year.

It also recommended ending the use of the vaccine in healthy children and teenagers, questioning why vaccines were pushed on age groups with low levels of risk from the virus.

The report authors called for further research into the effectiveness of the vaccine.

They also questioned why pregnant women in a control trial of the Pfizer vaccine “did not fare well” yet the vaccine was recommended in the provide to pregnant women and women of childbearing age.

The task force said it did not see evidence that the vaccines were superior to natural immunity, and that government messaging that indicated otherwise was wrong.

The report called for a “balanced approach” to public health messaging about immunity and avoiding coercion in populations with low risk or infection-acquired immunity.