The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) recorded influenza in 5.3% of tests in the week ending Oct. 10, as British Columbia began offering seasonal vaccine appointments to priority groups.
PHAC’s dashboard reported 1,394 detections for surveillance week 40. The 5.3% figure reflects positive results within the agency’s test sample, not a count of everyone who contracted flu. PHAC says differences in testing practices among provinces and territories can affect the rate.
PHAC revised its activity ratings in September 2026, weighing current positivity against historical patterns and using jurisdiction-specific cutoffs rather than one national threshold. The agency describes influenza as a respiratory illness caused by influenza A and B viruses, with seasonal outbreaks in Canada during fall and winter.
British Columbia began notifying priority groups Oct. 5; appointments were available as early as Oct. 13. The province says vaccines are free for people six months and older and that it secured nearly 2 million doses for the 2026-27 season. Doses are offered through health authority clinics, more than 1,400 pharmacies and some primary-care offices.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends annual flu vaccination for people six months and older who have no contraindication. Its guidance places people at elevated risk of complications and those who may transmit flu to them among the priority groups. NACI cites waning protection and changes in circulating strains as reasons for yearly vaccination. PHAC says vaccination can lower infection and serious-complication risks, with peak protection generally building over about two weeks.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto’s University Health Network, told Global News that flu activity “absolutely started earlier.”
B.C. plans to expand appointment invitations to the general population through early November.
