The Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network Atlas of Community Pharmacy Influenza Immunizations

Influenza is an important public health concern, especially among vulnerable populations such as young children, seniors, individuals with chronic medical conditions and immunocompromised patients.¹ It is estimated that influenza infection leads to 12,200 hospitalizations and 3500 deaths annually in Canada.² Fortunately, vaccination can prevent influenza infection and the spread of the virus. A vaccine is developed annually for each influenza season based on the circulating viral strains expected to be dominant during the season.³ It can take up to 2 weeks after administration before an influenza immunization is effective in providing protection against influenza,¹ and thus early immunization each influenza season is important. Publicly funded community pharmacy influenza programs exist in all Canadian provinces and 1 territory (Table 1). Alberta and British Columbia were the first to support publicly funded community pharmacy influenza immunization programs, offering the service since the 2009/2010 influenza season. At the other extreme, Quebec and the Yukon offered the service for the first time this 2020/2021 influenza season, and no service exists in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut. The purpose of this research brief is to introduce the Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (OPEN) Atlas of Community Pharmacy Influenza Immunizations tool and describe the uptake of influenza immunization services in Ontario over time. Our case example may help support pharmacy influenza immunization service planning and similar immunization planning for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).