Canadian provinces implement varying RSV vaccine coverage for 2026

Publicly funded respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine programs across Canada feature differing eligibility criteria for the 2026 season. While most provinces provide the vaccine free to adults aged 75 and older, specific age thresholds and risk-based qualifications vary by region.

In British Columbia, the program covers adults 75 and older, residents of long-term or assisted living facilities aged 75 and older, and Indigenous people aged 60 and older. Alberta offers the vaccine to individuals aged 70 and older, as well as those aged 60 and older living in continuing or supportive care or identifying as Indigenous. Alberta also includes specific high-risk groups aged 18 to 69, such as transplant recipients and those receiving dialysis.

In Ontario, the 2025-2026 program has expanded to include all residents aged 75 and older. Additional coverage is provided for individuals aged 60 to 74 who reside in long-term care or retirement homes, patients in hospital receiving alternate level of care, immunocompromised patients, dialysis recipients, transplant recipients, individuals experiencing homelessness, and First Nations, Inuit, or Métis people.