As we leave the warm days of summer and early fall behind us, respiratory virus season looms ahead, and public health officials are urging Manitobans to do what they can to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities at large.
Getting the flu, COVID-19, and possibly also the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccines are the best way to do that, says Dr. Mahmoud Khodaveisi, a medical officer of health for Southern Health-Santé Sud.
All of these viruses, can cause “severe infections, severe illness,” he says, especially in high-risk groups, which includes infants and older adults.
It can create a real strain on the health care system as people flood the emergency rooms for treatment, Khodaveisi says, some of them requiring hospital admission and, in severe cases, ending up in intensive care. Some of those people will never leave the hospital.
It’s wholly unnecessary to take the risk you or someone you love might be one of them, because vaccination is available to all Manitobans, Khodaveisi stresses.
“Vaccines are safe, effective, and available free of charge in Manitoba,” he says. “They cannot prevent all forms of illness, but they can prevent severe infection, severe illness. So if these vaccines can prevent admissions to the hospital, to the ICU, that’s a big win for everybody.”
Even if you’re young and healthy and so less likely to succumb to the worst these viruses have to offer (though it’s certainly always a possibility), vaccination is still important, Khodaveisi says.
“Everyone six months of age and older is encouraged to receive the flu vaccine, the COVID vaccine,” he says. “Let’s say someone is young, he doesn’t feel he needs it, but if that person gets infected, maybe they’re even asymptomatic or have a mild form, they can still spread the infection to others that surround them, maybe people who are at higher risk. People at work, in the community. It’s a collective responsibility for everybody.”
The annual flu shot and updated COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone over six months of age.
Manitobans over 65 are eligible for an enhanced flu shot that provides more protection than the standard one. Older adults should also ask if they are eligible for the pneumococcal vaccine to protect against pneumococcal pneumonia.
New this year, RSV immunization is also available for people in high-risk groups, which includes infants born between Oct. 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026 and certain adults aged 60+, including those living in or moving into personal care homes.
Talk to your doctor
Khodaveisi says that while many older Manitobans do get their flu shots each year (about 58 per cent of the 65+ crowd), the uptake drops significantly when you look at Manitobans as a whole—about 23 per cent of us got the annual shot last year.
Those numbers drop a few percentage points for the COVID-19 vaccine for Manitoba as a whole, Khodaveisi says, and Southern Health-Santé Sud’s vaccination rates are lower still. He urges people to talk to their health care providers if they have concerns about vaccinations.
If you’re getting your flu or COVID-19 shots for the first time, Khodaveisi advises that it’s normal you might feel a little under the weather afterwards. The arm you get the shot in might be sore the next day, and you could have a headache, muscle soreness, or fatigue.
“Most people, if they do develop side effects, they’re very mild,” he says. “And if they get side effects, then these side effects are transient [short-lived], so much less [severe] than the true infection would be.”
Khodaveisi urges people to get vaccinated sooner rather than later, especially with the holiday season coming up.
“It’s better to get the vaccines as soon as possible before things pick up in wintertime, because it takes two weeks for immunity to get fully developed.”
The Pembina Valley has numerous community vaccination clinics scheduled for the weeks ahead, many accepting walk-ins. For dates, times, and locations, head to southernhealth.ca/health-topics/immunizations/seasonal-flu-covid-19-clinics/.
You can also use the provincial Vaccine Finder to track down a clinic or pharmacy administering vaccines: gov.mb.ca/respiratoryviruses/vaccinefinder.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
