• Healthcare workers (see full details here)
• All residents of continuing care homes and seniors supportive living accommodations
• Homebound home care clients
• Individuals six months of age and older with underlying medical or immunocompromising conditions
• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Individuals 65 years of age and older receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit.

• Get immunized against respiratory illness: This Primary Care Alberta webpage offers the most recent information on seasonal immunizations for COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
• Statement on seasonal influenza vaccines for 2025–2026 - Canada.ca: This Health Canada site offers additional details on this year’s influenza vaccine.

The RSV vaccine will be available to those 60 years of age and older living in continuing care and seniors supportive living settings, as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals who are 60 years of age and older. All Albertans 70 years of age and older are eligible for the RSV vaccine.

Effective October 14, the only paper requisition accepted by Alberta Precision Laboratories for COVID-19, influenza and Respiratory Pathogen Panel (RPP) requests will be the COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Viruses Requisition. Primary care providers are reminded that community patients with symptoms qualify for routine COVID-19 and influenza testing.

Please note that:

• Requests using other paper requisitions will be cancelled.
• You must check off the testing required. Written test requests will not be accepted.
• You must complete the mandatory “Specify Test,” “Clinical History” and “RPP Criteria” fields on the requisition, along with any other relevant clinical information. If any of these fields are not completed, testing may be delayed and/or cancelled.

Read the full lab bulletin here.

This October, the Provincial Urology Working Group is coming together to review data and feedback on Alberta’s suite of clinical, patient and referral urology pathways.

You’re undoubtedly busy, but insights from primary care providers are invaluable. Whether it’s a small tweak or a big idea, the pathways team wants to hear from you! Please check out these urology pathways and offer your insights.

• Provincial Male LUTS Primary Care Clinical Pathway
• Your Journey with Male LUTS - Patient Pathway
• Provincial Non-Obstructing Kidney Stone Primary Care Clinical Pathway
• Your Journey with Kidney Stones - Patient Pathway
• Provincial Primary Care Asymptomatic Routine Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing Pathway
• Provincial Adult Urology Referral Pathway
• Provincial Hematuria Evaluation Primary Care Pathway
• Provincial Renal Mass Diagnosis Primary Care Pathway

Have feedback?

Send your thoughts on any of the pathways to: albertapathways@primarycarealberta.ca. Let’s make these pathways work better for patients, providers, and the system. Thanks for being part of the change!

This year the Fall Immunization program is rolling out in two phases. Phase one started October 1, and offers the COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge, to eligible Albertans in addition to the influenza vaccine. For a full breakdown of eligibility visit: https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.

Phase two starts October 20. Albertans six months and older who are not eligible in phase one will have the opportunity to book appointments for both COVID-19 and influenza immunization. There is a $100 fee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at public health clinics. The charge may vary at pharmacies that privately purchase and offer the vaccine.

Public Health clinics and participating pharmacies will begin booking influenza immunization appointments starting October 20 for those wanting influenza vaccine only. Influenza vaccines are free of charge to Albertans six months and older.

Albertans can find information on how to book appointments here: Get immunized against respiratory illness).

Note: Appointments for individuals six months to 11 years old must be booked at a public health clinic by calling Health Link at 811.

Note: Albertans age five years and older who are only getting an influenza vaccine are encouraged to get immunized at a community pharmacy. Many pharmacies accept walk-in appointments.

A three-strain injectable standard dose influenza vaccine is available free of charge to Albertans 6 months of age and older. An adjuvanted influenza vaccine may be offered to individuals 65 years of age and older, subject to local availability.

RSV reminder: The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine will also be available free of charge to individuals 60 years of age and older living in continuing care and seniors supportive living settings as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals who are 60 years of age and older. Albertans who are 70 years of age and older living in the community are also eligible for RSV vaccine. Get more information.

Effective October 21, Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) in Calgary will begin testing for dermatophyte fungi from skin scrapings and nail samples using nucleic acid amplification testing. Ongoing validation of hair samples will continue for six to 12 months, after which the new process will also be implemented if acceptable performance is demonstrated. If you’re ordering using the APL microbiology requisition, please ensure you’re using the latest version.

• Read the full lab bulletin.

The Provincial Transfusion Medicine service has adopted a centralized support model linking immunohematology reference labs to all other Transfusion Medicine testing labs. Transfusion Medicine Labs are now classified into Non-Automated Testing Sites, Automated Testing Sites, Regional Testing Hubs, and Immunohematology Reference Labs. These sites come with new standardized testing menus that may result in a loss of some testing for some sites, or new and additional testing for some sites. Turn-around times may be affected.

• Read the full lab bulletin.

Effective immediately, microscopy of stool for white blood cells (stool WBC or fecal leukocytes) will be discontinued provincially due to the availability of improved diagnostic tests. Any test requests for stool white blood cells will be cancelled.

• Read the full lab bulletin.

APL lab bulletin: New restrictions on daily lab orders