Walk in any time during pharmacy hours. Free with your Alberta Health Card for ages 5 and up. The 2026 to 27 quadrivalent vaccine targets two influenza A strains and two B lineages. Here's what that means and how to use the season.
What's in the 2026 to 27 vaccine
The WHO uses surveillance data from the southern hemisphere to forecast which strains will circulate in our winter. The 2026 to 27 quadrivalent vaccine protects against four: two influenza A variants (H1N1 and H3N2) and two influenza B lineages (Victoria and Yamagata).
Three formulations are available:
- Standard-dose injectable. Most adults and children 6 months and older.
- High-dose (Fluzone). Quadruple antigen concentration for adults 65+.
- Live attenuated nasal spray (FluMist). Healthy individuals ages 2 to 59, excluding pregnant individuals.
The pharmacist picks the right formulation during the consultation, based on age and health history.
Who should get vaccinated
The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. Priority groups: pregnant individuals, seniors 65+, young children 6 months to 5 years, those with chronic conditions, immunocompromised patients, long-term care residents, healthcare workers, and household contacts of any of the above.
Vaccinating lower-risk people creates community protection for those who can't mount a strong immune response themselves.
Free flu shot in Edmonton
- Eligibility: free for ages 6 months and older with an Alberta Health Card
- Location: Acme Drug Mart, Unit 103, 15508 87 Ave NW
- Booking: walk in for ages 5+. Children under 5 should visit a family physician or AHS clinic.
- Billing: we bill direct to Alberta Health
What to expect during your visit
About 10 minutes total. Quick health screening, upper-arm injection, then a 15-minute post-vaccination observation per Canadian pharmacy standards. Minor side effects (localised soreness, redness, brief low-grade fever within 24 to 48 hours) indicate immune activation, not infection.
Common misconceptions
"The flu shot can give me the flu."
Injectable vaccines contain inactivated virus, period. The nasal spray uses a weakened live virus that can't replicate in the lungs.
"Annual vaccination weakens immunity."
It doesn't. Repeated vaccination doesn't diminish your immune response. Prior-year immunity wanes naturally as circulating strains shift.
"Vaccinated people transmit flu."
Injectable formulations contain no live virus. Nasal spray recipients may briefly shed attenuated virus, but transmission causing illness in healthy contacts is extremely rare.
When to get vaccinated
Optimal timing is by the end of October, so you have full protection before peak season (December to February). But vaccination at any point during flu season provides benefits, protection typically extends through March or April. If you missed October, don't skip the year, just come in.
First-time child recipients need two doses four weeks apart. Start in September so you finish before peak.
Walk in
(780) 443-0202. No appointment needed for ages 5+. Free with your Alberta Health Card.