Over 75 in N.L.? You can now get vaccinated against RSV - CBC

A high level of respiratory illnesses continue to circulate across the Quinte and Kingston regions. Southeast Public Health along with partners like Quinte Health have issued a joint statement this week on fall vaccines.

With Flu season underway, now is a good time to get your flu shots at your local pharmacy. (File photo) As flu and COVID-19 cases circulate in the community, Pharmasave is encouraging residents to take advantage of available immunization clinics. Hien, Pharmacy Manager at Pharmasave, said immunization remains an important tool for reducing the risk of illness, particularly among vulnerable populations.

The chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), argued the Trump administration is not promoting vaccinations vigorously enough amid a massive measles outbreak that has claimed multiple lives in 2026. "My concern as a physician is that everyone should be vaccinated for measles," Cassidy told CNN's Jake Tapper. "And you may think it only affects me. That's not true because you infect other people. ""If I'm not protected, but you are, then I'm not exposed. I'm all about asking people to be immunized for yourself and for others," he added. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Friday that U. S. measles cases this year had topped 4,000, with about 96 percent being associated with known outbreaks. By contrast, the agency recorded a total of 2,289 measles infections for all of 2025. About 95 percent of Americans infected with measles this year were either not vaccinated against the illness or had an unknown vaccination status, according to the CDC. During his CNN appearance, Cassidy urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the CDC to further push for vaccinations.

Lambton Public Health is offering additional flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics this season, along with those offered by pharmacies and health care providers. The additional clinics by the local public health agency come at the direction of the Ministry of Health, said Carshenan Lai, the agency’s health protection supervisor.

Cold and flu season is upon us, and the Renfrew County and District Health Unit wants local families to be prepared. The RCDHU is encouraging parents and caregivers to take advantage of Ontario’s publicly funded Infant RSV Prevention program to protect their children against respiratory syncytial virus, which Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jason Morgenstern says can cause serious harm for infants and high-risk children. Families with infants born on or before April 1, 2026 and who are under 8 months old at the time of immunization and children under 24 months old who remain vulnerable to RSV are eligible for the program, which will run from October until March. The immunization will be available at hospitals for newborns prior to discharge, as well as at participating health care providers, obstetricians, and midwives. Appointments are also currently being booked for RCDHU-led immunization clinics which will start on October 21. The health unit is also encouraging parents and caregivers to ask their health care providers for a record of their children’s RSV immunization to keep for future visits.(written by Kasey Egan)