PEIIslanders looking to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccine may need to look beyond their local pharmacy, as some locations are experiencing shortages or have already run out due to high demand.Doses are still available at some locations, says CPHOMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2025 6:14 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Some P.E.I. pharmacies seeing a shortage of COVID-19 vaccinesMany Islanders have already rolled up their sleeves for vaccines this season, but COVID-19 shots may not be available at some local pharmacies because of high demand. CBC’s Cody MacKay reports. Islanders looking to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccine may need to look beyond their local pharmacy, as some locations are experiencing shortages or have already run out due to high demand.Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, said the province brought in over 35,000 doses for this season. She said there are around 4,000 remaining, which are available at some pharmacies or through Public Health Nursing.“It really is an indication that there’s been really good, strong uptake of the COVID vaccine,” Morrison said.“I think it speaks to Islanders who understand the importance of trying to protect themselves and the community.”’We’re going into a little bit of an earlier influenza season this year,’ says Dr. Heather Morrison. ‘COVID is sort of circulating almost all year, but we really want to limit the number of people who get sick, and also limit the impact on the health-care system in terms of how many people have to seek medical attention.’ (Daniel Brown/CBC)Morrison said the chief public health office wants to make sure it uses up the vaccine doses it has, but that if demand keeps rising, more will be ordered.“We’ll always make sure there’s enough for Islanders.”Higher demand for flu shots, RSV vaccinesThe P.E.I. Pharmacists Association told CBC News it’s good news to see a higher demand for COVID-19 vaccines this year, but confirmed that some pharmacies have run out of doses and have had to tell people to try other locations.The association is reminding people that flu shots are still available in pharmacies.Morrison said demand for immunizations against both the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are also up this year. “We have had a really strong uptake of not just [the] COVID vaccine but also our influenza vaccine and our RSV program this respiratory season,” she said.Over the summer, the province announced that it was expanding its RSV vaccine program to more seniors.“We’re hearing… that with the introduction of the universal RSV program for our seniors, some have even started going in for [the] RSV vaccine and realize, ‘Well I may as well get COVID and influenza [shots] at the same time,’” Morrison said. WATCH | ‘The virus didn’t know any borders’: Public health officials on what P.E.I. learned from COVID-19:’The virus didn’t know any borders’: Public health officials on what P.E.I. learned from COVID-19Five years after the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic, opinions are mixed about whether Prince Edward Island would be ready if another deadly contagion came along. CBC’s Sheehan Desjardins talks to the people who designed the measures we took to stave off the virus.To date this respiratory season, she said there have been around 140 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 40 of influenza — but she expects to see those numbers rise in the coming weeks with the holiday season in full swing. “I think we’ll see those numbers really peak [at the] end of December into January, which is a hard time of year with certainly a lot of people gathering.” Morrison said it takes up to a couple of weeks for a vaccine to take its full effect.“We still have weeks and weeks of respiratory season ahead of us, and so I encourage us to try to protect ourselves, protect others.”Islanders can check with their local pharmacies to see if COVID-19 shots are available, or check available appointments at vaccine clinics through the Skip the Waiting Room website.ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Cody MacKay
High demand leaves pharmacies in some P.E.I. communities short on COVID-19 vaccines
