Retired nurse pushing for new RSV vaccine to be free for all seniors in Canada

A retired Windsor, Ont., nurse is pushing to have the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine be made available at no cost for seniors.

Currently, Ontario covers the shot for people 60 and up who live in long-term care, elder-care lodges and some retirement homes.

Stephanie Champ, 65, said for many seniors like herself who are on fixed incomes, up to $300 per dose is unaffordable.

She said she started an online petition after hearing from a childhood friend.

"The reason I started this is [because] my friend has a respiratory illness," said Champ.

"She has asthma. It's very serious. She went to get that shot and they said that would be $300. I'm just appalled because I think we haven't learned anything from the COVID virus."

Champ said if seniors get ill with RSV, it would overwhelm the hospital system once again as it did during the pandemic, and the idea to keep them safe and healthy should be top of mind for every government decision.

"They're offering it for people in long-term care homes, but the independent seniors have to pay through the nose. With this economy, it's very hard for a lot of people to make ends meet.

If not free for all seniors, the shots should be heavily subsidized, according to Champ, and include all ages.

"I don't want to get it. Like, when you have an autoimmune problem, it makes you particularly vulnerable. It kind of scares me going into the fall. I want to mask up because I'm scared, like going into group settings."

There's concern by some that the cost could end up being too expensive for those who need it most.

Arexvy is the first vaccine approved by Health Canada to fight RSV. The virus normally causes mild illness but can make older adults and young children quite sick.

In some provinces, like Alberta and New Brunswick, shots for seniors aren't covered at all.

Anne Summach, a nurse practitioner in Alberta, said older adults with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk — especially people who have had heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.