MontrealCOVID-19 vaccines will no longer be free for all Quebecers starting this fall, the province’s Health Ministry announced Wednesday. A dose will cost between $150 and $180 at a pharmacyCBC News · Posted: Sep 17, 2025 6:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 19Quebec’s immunization committee recommended prioritizing vaccination for people 75 and older. (Peter Evans/CBC)COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be free for all Quebecers starting this fall, the province’s Health Ministry announced Wednesday. Public health director Dr. Luc Boileau, speaking on the Radio-Canada show Midi info, said the vaccine will be free for people considered at risk.This includes people aged 65 and older, those who are immunocompromised or have chronic illnesses, residents of long-term care facilities (CHSLDs), private seniors’ residences (RPAs) and other vulnerable settings, as well as health-care workers, adults in remote regions and pregnant people, according to a Health Ministry news release.A vaccination campaign will be held in early October for vulnerable people, and the remaining doses will then be made available to others.For the rest of the population, a dose will cost between $150 and $180 at a pharmacy, according to the association of pharmacy owners in Quebec.’Most people in Quebec have had COVID,’ says BoileauThis change comes as federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines ends, shifting the responsibility for purchasing vaccines and setting the immunization schedule to the provinces and territories.Boileau said the vaccine no longer has the same effectiveness for everyone as people who are not in at-risk groups have acquired immunity that helps prevent serious illness.”Most people in Quebec have had COVID, if not several times, and they have also been vaccinated,” he said.”For people who are not considered at risk, there is not a great benefit to being vaccinated,” Boileau added, though he clarified that public health is not “against” vaccination for the general population.Quebec’s immunization committee recommended prioritizing vaccination for people aged 75 and older, a decision it deemed the most cost effective, according to a report published in March 2025 by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).WATCH | The latest on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Quebec: Still want a COVID-19 vaccine? You might have to pay in QuebecThe provincial government says only vulnerable groups will be eligible for free COVID-19 vaccines during the current immunization campaign, although the general public may be able to get some later. Quebec’s immunization committee says the overall vaccination rate in Quebec has reduced serious infections in seniors.Boileau said that teams at Santé Québec and facility managers at CHSLDs and RPAs will be responsible for contacting vulnerable individuals.Others, like health-care workers and pregnant people, are encouraged to get the free vaccine because they are at a higher risk of developing a severe illness and spreading it to those who are sick. He said people close to a vulnerable person will have to pay for their vaccine dose. To protect their vulnerable loved one, he said, they should avoid contact if they show symptoms of an illness.The decision to limit free vaccines was made in consultation with public health experts, Boileau said. He said prevention remains important for both citizens and the health-care system.However, he said that for people not in at-risk groups, vaccination against COVID-19 and the flu “is not a step we necessarily recommend.””There are many other things people can do for prevention, and we can invest in many other areas,” he said. He suggested that people who are not at risk can protect their immunocompromised or elderly loved ones by simply avoiding contact when they are sick.Written by Isaac Olson with files from Radio-Canada
Quebec to stop offering free COVID-19 vaccines to the general population
