Nova Scotia RSV vaccine program excludes many high-risk adults, prompting criticism
Nova Scotia’s publicly funded RSV vaccination plan covers infants, seniors in long-term care and those 75+, leaving many vulnerable adults without free shots and facing out-of-pocket costs of over $300.
Nova Scotia’s RSV immunisation initiative currently funds the vaccine for three groups: infants younger than eight months, adults 75 and older, and seniors 60 and above who live in or are waiting for long-term care placement. This leaves many at-risk adults, such as 72-year-old Gregg Lambert with lung cancer, without publicly funded access. Private pharmacies charge upwards of $320 for the injection, and private health plans do not reimburse the cost.
Over the recent period, the province’s respiratory dashboard recorded 17 deaths and close to 400 hospitalisations among people over 65. Patients like Mary Pyche and Lisa MacPherson argue the exclusion creates a two-tier system and urge the health department to expand eligibility, noting that hospital costs likely exceed the price of vaccination.
Why it matters
The eligibility gap may force high-risk adults to pay for a costly vaccine or risk severe illness and costly hospital stays.
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