After years of pandemic jabs, are people getting their COVID-19 and flu shots this winter?
Although there is some "hesitancy" among individuals to receive a COVID-19 or flu shot this winter, the associate owner of a Shoppers Drug Location in Windsor says he is pleased with the number of people coming in to get vaccinated.
"We see people coming in for both shots at the same time," said Sebastian Di Pietro who owns the Shoppers Drug Mart location at Howard Avenue and Tecumseh Road East.
The influx of people heading to the pharmacy comes as health officials increase their call-to-action for the public to get their annual flu shot or a booster shot against the virus that causes COVID-19.
"We've been asking Canadians to come to the pharmacies or to their health care professional for vaccinations over and over, more often than usual in the last little while," Di Pietro said.
According to data from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, 85 per cent of residents in the region have completed their "primary series" of the COVID-19 vaccination — defined as two doses.
Of that group, about 40 per cent have elected not to get a third dose.
Sebastian Di Pietro owns the Shoppers Drug Mart location at Howard Avenue and Tecumseh Road East in Windsor, Ont. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)
Similarly to the flu, the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to change and we have new variants out," Di Pietro explained.
"The newest vaccine is what is going to protect us against that new variant. So I would suggest getting both your flu and your COVID shots if you haven't already,” he said.
Businesses such as Namaste Indian Supermarket have been feeling the effects of flu season.
Namaste Indian Supermarker owner Parimal Parikh said his employees have regularly been calling in sick over the past three weeks.
"Recently, I had an incident where my manager called in sick and I had to stand at the cashier counter because I didn't have a replacement," said Parikh.
Since running a grocery store requires multiple hands on deck, Parikh said he finds himself calling in other employees who are not scheduled to work.
"That's a struggle because nobody's ready to come right away because they have their own plans so, sometimes, I have to fill up their space in order to make sure that my business doesn't stop," he added
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of human trafficking incidents in Canada remain unsolved
More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday.
Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
Manitoba RCMP identify infant human remains, asking public for help with investigation
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
'I couldn't stay home': Canadian with no prior military training joins Ukrainian forces
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adam Oake, a Canadian with no prior military training, sold all of his Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia to buy a plane ticket.
Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series
The Dodgers' most valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, dog of Shohei, has become a fixture of Dodgers — and dog — fandom.
Those typing monkeys will never produce Shakespeare's works, mathematicians say
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
Children's doctors reporting unusual increase in walking pneumonia cases in Canada
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.