Ontario residents will be able to receive the flu vaccine starting October 30, and a new coronavirus vaccine will be available sometime this month.

In a press release issued Thursday morning, the government stated that Ontario residents are encouraged to stay up to date with their vaccinations.

Individuals at risk or at high risk of infection, including seniors in long-term care and hospital staff, will start receiving the flu vaccine this month, and everyone will be able to get their dose starting in November through their family doctor, public health unit, or participating pharmacy.

The Ministry of Health states that the province expects to begin receiving doses of the updated coronavirus vaccine from Moderna, which was recently approved by Health Canada, later in September.

The new vaccine provides better protection against the new Omicron XBB variant and is approved for people over six months of age.

The province states that initial doses will be prioritized for the most vulnerable populations, and more details about this timeline will be provided later.

Ontario will be launching its first publicly funded respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for adults aged 60 and older, and this vaccine—named Arexvy—was approved by Health Canada in August.

The Ministry of Health clarifies that individuals living in long-term care homes, seniors' residences, and retirement homes will be the first to receive the vaccine.

It is unclear when the vaccine will be made available to the general public, as little guidance has been provided, and it is not expected that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization will issue its recommendations on RSV vaccination for seniors until 2024.

As such, the federal government stated that it is up to each province and territory to include it in their vaccination plans.

These announcements appear to be part of the province's "Fall Preparedness Plan" ahead of the respiratory illness season. This comes as the province proposes to expand pharmacists' responsibilities, allowing them to prescribe flu medications, administer flu vaccines to children, and manage respiratory syncytial virus vaccines.

The province stated that this will allow pharmacists to be assigned to enter long-term care or retirement facilities to assist with the rollout of Arexvy.

Pharmacists have been able to administer flu vaccines to those under the age of two since 2020, but for children under that age, parents had to go to their family doctor or clinic.