Why So Few Are Asking About the RSV Vaccine in Canada

The RSV vaccine in Canada has been sitting on pharmacy shelves since 2023, and most adults still have no plans to ask anyone about it. A new Ipsos survey conducted for Merck Canada found 64 per cent of respondents were either unsure or unlikely to bring up respiratory illness and prevention with a health professional over the next six months. Only 36 per cent said they probably would.

The same poll turned up a gap in what people even recognize. Almost everyone knew COVID-19 (99 per cent) and influenza (98 per cent). Familiarity dropped to 71 per cent for RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — and 66 per cent for pneumococcal disease, the bacterial infection behind much of the pneumonia and meningitis seen in adults. Ipsos polled 1,000 adults aged 25 to 75 between June 18 and 23, with a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

That matters more than a trivia score. Nearly half of those surveyed — 48 per cent — had received none of the four shots in the previous 12 months. Global News reported that vaccine-preventable respiratory illness put close to 60,000 people in Canadian hospitals in 2024, with flu and RSV together accounting for more than half of those admissions.

How Many Canadians Actually Know What RSV Is

Roughly three in ten adults told Ipsos they weren't familiar with RSV, and a third drew a blank on pneumococcal disease. There's a straightforward reason for that. COVID and flu have had decades — or five very loud years — of public messaging, school posters and pharmacy signage. RSV has mostly been filed under "baby illness" in the public mind, even though it puts older adults in hospital every winter.

People aren't tuning out because they don't care. When respondents did get vaccinated, the leading reasons were protecting vulnerable people in their community (54 per cent) and protecting older family members (48 per cent). The motivation is already there. The prompt isn't.

The Question Most People Never Ask a Pharmacist

That 64 per cent figure is the one worth sitting with. Vaccination here is largely opportunistic — you get the shot because a poster caught your eye, a pharmacist offered, or your workplace ran a clinic. If two-thirds of adults never raise the subject, and appointments run short, whole categories of protection simply go undiscussed.

It shows up in ordinary life, too. Twenty-eight per cent said respiratory illness disrupted personal or work plans in the past year. Among them, 43 per cent missed time with family or friends and 37 per cent used paid sick days. One caveat worth naming: Merck Canada, which sells pneumococcal vaccines, paid for the research.

Who Should Get the RSV Vaccine in Canada

Eligibility for the RSV vaccine in Canada isn't universal, and it isn't obvious. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its guidance in April 2026, and three products are now authorized here, including GSK's Arexvy and Pfizer's Abrysvo. Here's the short version.

Adults 75 and Older

This is the clearest recommendation on the list. NACI strongly advises RSV immunization programs for everyone 75 and up, plus adults 60 and older living in nursing homes or other chronic care facilities. If you're in that group — or you're the adult child of someone who is — that's the first call to make.

Adults 50 to 74

The advice here is softer: consider it, in conversation with your provider. Chronic lung disease, heart failure, diabetes and a weakened immune system all raise the stakes. Arexvy is authorized from 60, and from 50 for people at higher risk; Abrysvo covers adults 60-plus and those 18 to 59 at increased risk.

What You'll Pay If You're Not Covered

Public funding varies by province and territory, and that's the real barrier. Ontario, for example, funds RSV shots for people 60 and over in long-term care and certain retirement settings. Outside a funded program, reporting from CBC and Global News has placed the out-of-pocket price at roughly $200 to $350, around $250 at an Ontario pharmacy. Many private drug plans cover it, so check before you pay.

Why Hospital Numbers Are Moving the Wrong Way

Uptake has been sliding while admissions climb. Just 33 per cent of Canadian adults got a flu shot in 2024-25. COVID coverage was thinner: 26 per cent of adults in fall 2024, rising to 54 per cent among seniors 65 and over. CBC reported that hospitalization rates for vaccine-preventable respiratory disease more than doubled in 2024 compared with pre-pandemic years.

Put those together and the picture isn't mysterious. Fewer shots, more hospital beds, and the newest tool in the kit is the one the fewest people have heard of. Federal officials have acknowledged the drop in flu coverage is real but not clearly explained.

What to Do Before Respiratory Season Starts

Most provincial fall campaigns open in October, and pharmacy slots fill fast once they do. None of this takes long, and much of it can be handled in a single appointment — but it generally only happens if you start the conversation yourself.

• Check your province's RSV program page to see whether you or a parent qualify at no cost.
• Ask your pharmacist which shots you're actually due for instead of waiting to be offered one.
• Paying privately? Check your workplace or private drug plan first.
• Ask about pneumococcal vaccination too — a third of adults told Ipsos they'd never heard of the illness.

If you take one thing from this poll, make it this: the shots you qualify for are rarely announced to you. Book the appointment, bring the ages and health conditions in your household, and ask directly about the RSV vaccine in Canada and pneumococcal coverage. Then watch for your province's fall schedule, which is when eligibility and pricing get confirmed.