A Friendly Reminder to Get Your Flu Shot! – iamsick.ca blog

With COVID-19 being all the rage right now, many of us have forgotten that there are other ongoing public health concerns that continue to persist alongside the pandemic. One of these concerns include the spread of the Influenza virus—the virus that causes Influenza, a contagious respiratory illness otherwise known as “the flu.”

Unlike COVID-19, Influenza is not a new virus. It has been around for decades and is ranked among the top 10 leading causes of death in Canada (PHAC, 2020). On average, Influenza is estimated to cause about 3,500 deaths in Canada annually. Influenza can lead to severe illness, particularly affecting vulnerable populations including young children and infants, adults aged 65 and older, people with chronic medical conditions, those who are pregnant, Indigenous peoples and people who are currently residing in nursing homes. As new strains of influenza appear every year, receiving an annual immunization of the seasonal influenza vaccine can significantly reduce the risk of getting the flu and being hospitalized, and perhaps even death. 

Book your appointment with MyVaccines.ca

Because of COVID-19, most flu shot clinics are not currently offering walk-in vaccinations, and will require flu shot appointments. Luckily for you, MyVaccines.ca makes the Influenza vaccine booking process as easy as cake.

With its user-friendly interface, MyVaccines.ca works to safely and conveniently find available flu shot clinics near you. You can use its filters to easily search by location, clinic type, and seasonal influenza vaccine in multiple languages. By entering your email address, you will be notified when flu shots become available and will also be able to access a map showing all local flu shot options to help you decide where you would prefer to go.

You can sign up for email notifications to book you flu shot appointment here: MyVaccines.ca

References
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2020, October 23). Government of Canada. Canada.ca. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/flu-influenza/health-professionals.html.

Bairavie Piravakaran (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Toronto Scarborough. As a Psychological & Health Sciences student, she values the importance of sharing credible information and making health resources more accessible to the public. Her interests in population health, research, and design are also reflected in her non-academic pursuits—she currently volunteers with the Young Leaders of Public Health and Medicine (YLPHM) as a Social Media Manager for the Scarborough Chapter and is a Health Promotion & Analytics Member at Critical Health Innovations Lab (CHIL). At EMPOWER Health, Bairavie works closely with the Marketing Team in order to plan and execute strategies that help inform the public about current health-related topics.