Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

For the 2025-2026 influenza season, the Department of Health will be offering a Universal Seasonal Influenza Program at no cost to New Brunswick (NB) residents.

This year, the seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine will be available as per the recommendations by the World Health Organization for northern hemisphere and will contain:

• an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus;
• an A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus; and
• a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.

Pharmacists who have completed training and have been authorized by the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists to administer injections may administer the publicly funded seasonal influenza vaccine to those two years of age and older.

Publicly funded influenza vaccine products for 2025-2026 are outlined below:

For individuals two to 64 years of age: 

For individuals 65 years of age and older:

For individuals aged two to 17 years with a fear of needles, who would not otherwise be vaccinated:

The seasonal influenza vaccine must be administered to eligible residents between October (start date varies) and July 31^st every year.

The Department of Health will pay participating providers for each claim billed for eligible patients. The participating provider is not permitted to charge additional fees to the patient for the administration or prescribing of publicly funded influenza vaccines.

If registered nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, pharmacy technicians or paramedics are hired to administer injections on behalf of a pharmacist, the claims must be submitted using the license number of the pharmacist. If another immunizer administers the vaccine on behalf of the pharmacist, they cannot administer and submit claims for children under two years of age.

The date of service must be the date of vaccine administration. Claims cannot be submitted in advance of the vaccine administration date.

Manual claims will not be accepted. Claims must be submitted online and include the following information: 

Please ensure the publicly funded vaccine supply is used for this program.

Pharmacies should order influenza vaccine at no cost from the provincial supply as follows:

• Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws pharmacies: Ordering and distribution is coordinated directly through Matrix.

• All other community pharmacies: Order via the Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC), using the DIS SharePoint site. An allocation is provided in the DIS SharePoint site, which can be adjusted if required. The product is distributed by McKesson on the next regular scheduled delivery day.

If pharmacies have any questions, they are encouraged to contact the Vaccine Operation Centre (VOC) at [email protected].

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who administer influenza vaccine can view clients’ immunization records in the NB Electronic Health Record (EHR).

A patient profile should be set up as for any client and must include the vaccine recipient's name and address, Medicare number, date of birth and gender, date the vaccine was administered and the name and lot number of the vaccine.

As per the Public Health Act, all immunizers of publicly funded vaccines must document the immunization within one week of administration. To meet this requirement, pharmacists need to enter the influenza vaccine administration into the Drug Information System (DIS) within one week of the client’s receipt of vaccine. The DIS sends this immunization information directly to the Public Health Information Solution (PHIS). It is important to ensure that the vaccine information is accurate as this becomes a client’s official immunization record in the immunization registry.

In addition to the information normally documented and retained for influenza immunization, pharmacists who employ another immunizer must retain accurate internal records that identify the immunizer (including the license number) who administered the vaccine to each patient. This internal record can be kept as a hard copy (paper) or electronically.

Additionally, regulation 2009-136, section 14 under the Public Health Act requires that those who administer a vaccine provide the recipient with a record of the immunization. A computer generated-prescription receipt would satisfy this requirement.

All claims submitted for reimbursement by participating providers are subject to audit and recovery.