Free flu shot vaccinations are expected to start being available on Prince Edward Island in the second week of October.
It’s the first time the shots are being offered to Island residents without having to pay an administration fee charged by most doctors, pharmacists and even public health nurses.
The Liberal government had already provided the vaccine for free and announced in the 2017-18 spring budget that it would also start covering the cost of delivering the shots — a move that’s projected to cost 600-thousand dollars.
The Prince Edward Island Pharmacists Association says it hopes removing the cost barrier will help increase vaccination rates and help to protect some of the more vulnerable Islanders from flu-related illness.