Seniors, long-term care residents, hospital staff and patients in Ontario will be able to get the flu shot starting this week.
Vaccination will open to everyone else in the province aged six months and older on Oct. 27.
Most other provinces and territories are expected to begin their flu shot programs in mid-October.
Dr. Netisha Gupta of the Lung Health Foundation says young children, seniors and people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — known as COPD — are at especially high risk of severe illness from the flu.
While the flu vaccine can reduce the risk of falling ill, she says it’s most effective at making infections that do occur milder and preventing hospitalization.
Gupta says it takes about two weeks for that protection to take hold after getting the shot.