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Alberta to Charge Most Residents for Fall COVID-19 Vaccines as Healthcare Groups Protest

The policy limits free COVID-19 vaccines to people at highest risk, removing distribution from pharmacies

Staff doing charts inside the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alta. on June 16, 2020.
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith looks on as world leaders arrive for the G7 leaders' summit, at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith speaks to media prior to the First Minister’s Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in May. Annabelle Gordon/For The Washington Post

Overview

  • The United Conservative government will make only immunocompromised individuals, those in congregate living and other high-risk groups eligible for free COVID-19 shots, with most Albertans facing an estimated $110 fee per dose.
  • Starting this fall, COVID-19 vaccines will be available exclusively at public health clinics in a phased delivery, ending distribution through community pharmacies.
  • Premier Danielle Smith defends the change as a cost-saving measure after $135 million in doses went unused and just under 14 percent of residents were vaccinated last season.
  • The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, United Nurses of Alberta, Alberta Medical Association and Canadian Public Health Association argue the policy will hinder access for rural residents, shift workers and vulnerable seniors.
  • Public health experts and NDP critics warn that reduced vaccine uptake could drive up hospitalizations and strain an already overburdened healthcare system