The National Lung Health Alliance Warns that Politicizing Immunization Risks Lives – Especially for Canadians with Lung Conditions

The NLHA says wasted vaccines are a failure of health promotion, not coverage

TORONTO, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Lung Health Alliance (NLHA), representing Canada’s leading lung health organizations, is sounding the alarm over Alberta’s recent decision to dramatically scale back access to publicly funded COVID-19 vaccines, after the federal government shifted responsibility for COVID-19 vaccinations to the provinces. The NLHA warns that the move sets a dangerous precedent for other provinces and threatens the health and safety of millions of Canadians living with chronic lung disease.

“This is not just an Alberta issue. It’s a national concern,” says Leigh Allard, President and CEO of Alberta Lung. “Low vaccine uptake doesn’t mean that governments shouldn’t fund the vaccine. It is a failure of health promotion, not coverage. If our leaders are truly concerned about choices and economic savings, they must ensure that vaccines remain publicly funded. Vaccines give us an evidence-based way to mitigate the massive economic burden of infectious respiratory disease.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pointed to $135 million worth of unused vaccines as justification to defund the program for the general population. Alberta is now phasing out access to publicly funded COVID-19 vaccines, offering them at no charge only to limited high-risk groups. In later phases, many Albertans may be required to pay up to $110 per dose—placing a significant financial barrier on those who need it most, including people living with chronic lung disease who face higher risks of severe illness from COVID-19, as well as those working in high-risk settings or caring for vulnerable loved ones.

The NLHA believes this approach is both inequitable and unsafe.

“Charging for vaccines removes choice and weakens herd immunity. It leaves those most vulnerable – people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, or compromised immune systems – at greater risk,” says Jessica Buckley, President and CEO of the Lung Health Foundation. “Vaccination is crucial for public health, and it is a vital intervention for mitigating economic healthcare costs.”

Public Health Investment, Not Personal Expense

According to NLHA and decades of data, vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health tools available. For every dollar spent on vaccines, Canada saves anywhere from $8 to $45 in avoided healthcare costs and economic losses. Highly effective vaccine programs like the Pneumococcal vaccine for adults 65+ saves $8 per dollar spent and the Influenza vaccine for adults 65+ saves $45 per dollar spent on the vaccine.

These figures speak to the immense value of vaccines, not just in terms of health, but also in terms of economics.

Lessons Learned from the Vaccine Status of 2021-2022

During the Omicron wave of 2021-2022, unvaccinated individuals were on average about seven times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than individuals who received the primary vaccination series. Unvaccinated individuals were on average 18 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than individuals who received the primary vaccination series.

For the two million Canadians who lived through the omicron wave while navigating life with COPD, the stakes were even higher. While respiratory viruses are estimated to cause around 50% of COPD exacerbations, COVID-19 is particularly concerning because of how often it leads to hospitalization, even in today’s post-omicron world.

Variants come and go, but these two million individuals, most of them seniors, are counting on publicly funded COVID-19 vaccines now more than ever--and so is our healthcare system. Looking to the future, imagine the fallout if even 5% of Canadians living with COPD required a hospital visit due to a preventable case of COVID-19. That’s 100,000 hospital beds needlessly full.

An Unacceptable Shift in Responsibility

By shifting the financial burden of vaccination to individuals, governments risk undermining decades of immunization progress and putting people living with lung conditions at unacceptable risk. The NLHA is calling on all provinces to reaffirm their commitment to publicly funded vaccines and to counter vaccine misinformation with proactive, evidence-based health promotion.

“The politicization of vaccines must stop,” say the NLHA members from coast to coast. “Vaccines aren’t a political football. They’re a public health necessity.”

The NLHA urges policymakers across Canada to take a stand: protect vulnerable populations, preserve herd immunity, and invest in the public health infrastructure that keeps all Canadians safer.

About The National Lung Health Alliance:

The National Lung Health Alliance (NLHA) is Canada’s leading advocacy network for lung health. Led by the Lung Health Foundation, the alliance includes several organizations: BC Lung Foundation, Alberta Lung, Lung Saskatchewan, Association Pulmonaire du Quebec, NB Lung/Poumon NB, LungNSPEI, Lung Cancer Canada, Asthma Canada and COPD Canada.

The NLHA mission

National Lung Health Alliance member organizations are currently working together to advance specific requests at the federal level based on collective decision making. Its mission focuses on three key areas: Youth vaping: Advocating for a Nicotine-Free Generation; Chronic lung disease: Improving diagnostics and support care for Canadians living with chronic lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer; and Air quality: Reducing radon exposure and promoting healthier homes.

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