Albertans can get COVID-19 vaccinations for free in B.C.

Albertans who don’t qualify for free COVID-19 vaccinations in their home province can get one in British Columbia.

B.C.’s Ministry of Health confirmed that detail in response to a query from CBC News. Canadian residents can get vaccinated due to a reciprocal agreement between all provinces and territories. 

“Any publicly funded immunization in B.C. can be provided at no cost to any Canadian travelling within the province,” a statement from the ministry said.

“This includes providing publicly funded COVID-19 vaccine to people of Alberta.”

There are some restrictions. Albertans can’t get free vaccinations in B.C. pharmacies. They will also need to make an appointment and B.C. residents will be the priority in the clinics. 

“Non-B.C. residents should be prepared to wait up to several weeks for an available appointment time during the peak of the fall/winter COVID-19 immunization program – if an appointment is even available,” the statement said. 

Alberta is the only Canadian province that will not provide free universal access to COVID-19 vaccines this fall. 

When the Alberta government first announced its policy in June, free access was limited to seniors in supportive living, people receiving home care, people with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions, people on AISH and income support and homeless people. 

Other Albertans who wish to get vaccinated will have to pre-register. The cost hasn’t yet been publicly disclosed but previous estimates from the province put each immunization at $110. 

Mitigating costs

At an unrelated news conference on Thursday, Premier Danielle Smith repeated her stance that the province’s policy is based on last year’s wastage.

She said about 54 per cent of last year’s COVID doses were spoiled due to lack of demand. 

WATCH | Alberta will have to pre-register and pay for COVID vaccines this fall:

The federal government funded vaccine procurement in previous years and 2025 is the first season provinces and territories have to pay for their own vaccines. 

This week, the province decided to extend free COVID vaccinations to health-care workers who originally would have needed to pay. 

Craig Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary, said the COVID-19 vaccine is approved by Health Canada and recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. 

Jenne said if the province wanted to save on waste it could ask people to sign up for a vaccine but still offer it for free. 

“Additional steps such as pre-registering tend to drive down vaccine uptake, but it would at least remove the financial barrier for some and remove a very difficult decision for some families,”  he said. 

CBC News asked Smith why her government still can’t offer the vaccine for free, while still requiring people to pre-register. Smith said it comes down to cost. 

“We are trying to mitigate costs because it is an expensive intervention,” Smith replied. “We don’t pay 100 per cent of the cost of every vaccine. So we’re just trying to align our approach on COVID with the same approach that we’re taking on RSV.”

Jenne said offering the RSV vaccine, which the province also doesn’t fund, in addition to COVID-19 immunizations, could ease the burden on the health-care system. 

Other prairie provinces are allowing all residents to get COVID vaccines for free. 

Manitoba confirmed anyone with a valid Canadian health card could get a COVID vaccination, though administrative fees could still apply. 

All Saskatchewan residents with a valid Saskatchewan health-care card can get their vaccines for free.

A government spokesperson also confirmed that residents of Lloydminister, a city on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, are eligible for free immunizations from a Saskatchewan clinic, but did not say whether other Albertans could get vaccines there.