OTTAWA -- Ottawa Public Health is dealing with a temporary shortage of flu shot doses from the province, forcing it to schedule clinics only until Nov. 27.
The health unit opened flu shot clinics at six locations across Ottawa on Oct. 29, allowing residents to book a flu shot appointment.
When the new batch of flu shot appointments were released on Thursday for the following week, new appointments were only available for Nov. 26 and 27.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) said it's experiencing a "temporary" reduction in doses from the Ministry of Health.
"Ottawa Public Health is currently experiencing a reduction in our weekly vaccine deliveries from the Ministry of Health," said the statement on Friday afternoon.
"We expect this reduction in supply to be temporary as the province is actively procuring vaccine from other sources. Online appointments at OPH community clinics remain available for the week ending Nov. 27."
Last week, Ottawa Public Health said it had run out of high-dose flu vaccines for seniors, but regular vaccines were still available.
More than 33,000 people have received the flu shot since Oct. 29 at OPH community and outreach clinics. During the 2019-2020 flu season, 11,320 people received the flu shot at Ottawa Public Health community and outreach clinics.
The health unit says it will continue to list appointments on its website based on community demand and vaccine availability. Details are available at www.ottawapublichealth.ca/flu
