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TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. plans to hold flu shot clinics at more than 400 stores starting this month.
The Canadian drug store chain said Thursday flu vaccination clinics will be hosted at Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick through November and into December. Public health nurses and Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists will be on hand to administer the flu immunizations.
Altogether, customers will have access to more than 640 clinic days where they can get a flu vaccine, as well as additional information and advice about preventing and managing cold and flu symptoms, according to the company.
Shoppers Drug Mart added that its team of pharmacists will be available to answer customer questions about the flu and the vaccine, which this year protects against seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus. Customers also can pick up a free copy of the "Be Well Get Well" booklet for health tips and information on staying well and preventing illness.
According to statistics from Health Canada, 3.4 million to 8.5 million Canadians catch the seasonal flu each year, in addition to illness due to the common cold.
"The best line of defense against the seasonal flu is to get a flu shot," Mark Dragich, a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist in Richmond Hill, Ontario, said in a statement. "We recommend that people call 1-800-Shoppers to find the nearest in-store clinic location and contact their local Shoppers Drug Mart store to book their flu shot."
Shoppers Drug Mart operates more than 1,180 drug stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix banners across Canada. The pharmacy chain also licenses or owns 59 medical clinic pharmacies under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé in Québec) and operates eight Murale luxury beauty outlets.
