EDMONTON — Alberta doctors say the province's attempts to save money on COVID-19 vaccines could end up costing taxpayers far more in public health costs.
Dr. Brian Wirzba, head of the Alberta Medical Association, which represents doctors in the province, says the government still has time to improve public education about vaccines and make them more accessible.
“In my clinic, when I talk to patients, they still don't understand how they could have gotten this in the first place,” said Wirzba, who practices internal medicine in Edmonton.
Premier Danielle Smith's government said its new policy, charging most Albertans $100 per shot, is an attempt to cut waste and costs. Various cost estimates have been offered, but in August the cost of about 401,000 unused doses last year was $44 million.
“We're trying to cut costs this year because it's an expensive intervention,” Smith said at the time.
Wirzba said the wastage represents a public health failure and if those doses had been administered, the province likely would have saved money.
“If public health were doing its job properly, we would be prescribing drugs to patients who were properly entitled to receive them.”
In a letter to association members Wednesday, Wirzba wrote that if only five per cent of Albertans were excluded from vaccination, projected additional health care costs would exceed $65 million in hospitalization costs alone. He wrote that it was not unreasonable to expect that this percentage—about 250,000 people—could be withheld simply because they could not afford it.
His association estimates the province can vaccinate 310 people per hospitalization.
Wirzba said fees, “radically reduced” community access and the online reservation system are obstacles.
“Like a lot of Albertans, my mom is not very tech savvy and she needed help to get through it and would probably give up if she had to do it on her own,” he said in an interview.
Wirzba said given the barriers to access, he would be “shocked” if the province didn't have a lower uptake than the 485,000 doses it ordered.
“And we will pay for it in hospitalizations — even deaths, illnesses, absenteeism from work — all the ways we end up paying for it.”
His warning comes just days after the next phase of the province's immunization campaign opened to the general public with an out-of-pocket cost of $100 per shot.
In the first phase, which took place earlier this month, appointments were made available to high-risk groups, including those with underlying health conditions, free of charge. Pharmacies can purchase it directly from suppliers and determine their price, which can be covered by private insurance plans.
But many have found it difficult to get appointments at provincial clinics this week.
Alberta Primary Health Services said its Health Link phone line was inundated with nearly 19,700 calls on Monday and Tuesday from Albertans looking to book a COVID vaccine, in addition to those seeking other health advice.
Spokeswoman Nicole Merrifield acknowledged call volume is “challenging” but encouraged Albertans to continue calling back. Merrifield said reservations take longer because family reservations must go through a phone line.
The agency has brought in “all available staff” to try to answer phone calls, extended hours throughout the week and is opening new appointments, including 250 additional locations in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Maddison McKee, a spokeswoman for Primary and Preventive Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in a statement that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommendations reflect strong immunity at the population level, which has led to a much lower risk of severe disease.
“We are seeing this lower risk in our monitoring: the 2025 COVID hospitalization rate is the lowest since 2020,” McKee wrote.
She said if Albertans leave the vaccine province, other provinces will have to foot the bill.
COVID vaccine uptake has fallen since the height of the pandemic, with only 14 per cent of Albertans receiving it last year.
There have been 1,242 COVID cases reported this season, with 272 of those hospitalized, according to the provincial respiratory virus dashboard.
As of October 11, there were 64 COVID patients in the hospital, one of whom was in the intensive care unit. Only a fraction of a percent of nearly five million Albertans have been vaccinated against COVID this season.
Wirzba said given these numbers, the Edmonton zone is already seeing problems with people being admitted to hospital on stretchers and in hallways.
Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Wednesday the rollout of COVID vaccines is “at a whirlwind” and he was unable to book an appointment online or reach Health Link.
“This is really about people's lives and Albertans deserve so much better than what the government is giving us,” Nenshi said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.
