Luc Boileau, Quebec’s outgoing public-health director, told La Presse that while most of the province's free COVID-19 shots will go to high-risk groups, he expects 'tens of thousands of doses' will be still be available for the rest of the population.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
Quebec’s outgoing public-health director says he is hopeful there will be enough leftover COVID-19 vaccines to immunize most of the people who want a free shot this fall, but he added that he could not guarantee everyone in the province will get a dose at no charge.
Luc Boileau made the comment in the wake of Quebec’s decision to scale back on the availability of free vaccines for its population.
In an interview conducted Wednesday but published Monday, he told the Montreal newspaper La Presse that while most of the free shots will go to high-risk groups, he expects “tens of thousands of doses” will still remain afterward for the rest of the population.
“If people are patient, there will be doses left,” Dr. Boileau was quoted as saying. He added that he was hopeful nearly everyone who wants a free dose will get it, “but we cannot pledge it at 100 per cent.”
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Dr. Boileau, whose mandate as Quebec’s director of national public health ended last week, could not be reached for comment. The Quebec Health Department didn’t respond to a request to confirm his remarks.
Quebec’s vaccination plan hasn’t officially been unveiled. Dr. Boileau has said that an announcement is expected in early October.
However, details started surfacing earlier in September after pharmacists, who need advance guidance to place orders for the vaccine, received a directive from Santé Québec, the agency co-ordinating the operations of the province’s public health care system.
The directive, which is posted on the internal website of the AQPP, the association of Quebec pharmacy owners, said that only certain categories of people will still receive the shot at no cost: seniors, health care workers, residents of remote regions and medically vulnerable patients.
The AQPP says that it will cost between $150 and $180 to receive a shot for an individual in Quebec who is not eligible for free COVID-19 vaccination.
After the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir first reported the new guidelines, Dr. Boileau told Radio-Canada that there could be leftover shots.
“We’ll prioritize high-risk groups and, afterward, it’s likely there will remain doses,” he said on Sept. 17. “Of course, they’ll be offered to people who want it. But if there are people who want to avail themselves immediately, this will be available in pharmacies [at a cost].”
Alberta, in June, was the first province to announce eligibility limits for free COVID-19 vaccines this fall. Both Quebec and Alberta have said that they changed their vaccine coverage because the federal government stopped financing the purchase of the shots.
The majority of Alberta residents will have to pay a $100 administrative fee to get immunized. Only health care workers, seniors in care homes or receiving home care, immunocompromised individuals and people on social programs will be covered.
Vaccine rollout in the western province is happening in two phases. The first phase began on Monday, allowing anyone eligible for a free shot to book their immunization appointment. Any other Albertan can book an appointment in Phase 2, beginning Oct. 20, but is dependent on vaccine availability.
The provincial government said previously that it has ordered 485,000 COVID-19 doses for the 2025-26 season. Provincial data show 739,091 COVID-19 doses were administered during the 2024-25 season and 855,938 the year prior. Critics of the provincial plan worry there may not be enough vaccine for those who want it.