Nova Scotia to Cover the Cost of Shingles Vaccine for Seniors, Premier Says

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston speaks to reporters at the legislature in Halifax on Feb. 29, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

Nova Scotia will cover the cost of the shingles vaccine for seniors aged 65 and older beginning next week, Premier Tim Houston announced.

The program will cost the province around $26 million in its first year, Houston said at a press conference on May 20, calling it “an investment in health care.”

Eligible residents of Nova Scotia can book appointments for the vaccine starting May 20, the premier’s office said in a news release the same day. The first appointments will begin on May 28.

The move was one of the campaign promises Houston made ahead of his re-election last November. Houston’s office said the vaccination program aims to “remove the barriers” to seniors accessing the shingles vaccine.

“Shingles is a viral infection that causes an extremely painful, burning skin rash and nerve pain that can last 90 days or more,” the release said.

Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, who also appeared at the press conference, said that eligible Nova Scotians will be able to receive two doses free of charge.

“The cost of the vaccine, it was about $200 a dose, so there has been a significant financial barrier for seniors getting vaccinated,” Strang told reporters. Individuals are required to receive both doses of the vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated, according to the province.

Strang said seniors are at more at risk of experiencing serious symptoms from shingles, including post-traumatic neuralgia, prolonged nerve pain, and increased frailty.

He added that seniors have the highest risk of hospitalization due to shingles, compared to individuals under the age of 65, which he says is why the province made the decision to cover the cost of the vaccine. In 2023, hospitalizations directly related to shingles cost the province around $500,000, Strang said.

“The vaccine, called Shingrix, prevents shingles complications, which can ease pressure on emergency departments, primary care and the overall health system,” said the news release.

Alyson Hillier, co-chair of the Seniors Advisory Council of Nova Scotia, said her council welcomes the province’s move.

“We recognize the impact of this debilitating and disabling virus, the effects of which can last weeks, months and can cause lifelong nerve pain,” she said in a statement on May 20.

Houston said at the conference that the province will evaluate the potential to expand the free vaccine coverage to other age groups in the future, but for now it’s focused on addressing the increased risk to seniors.