Alberta’s fall immunization plan, which has faced backlash because it will require most Albertans to pay $100 for the vaccine, offers coverage for specific high-risk groups.<\/p>\n
While some eligible groups have been highlighted in government announcements, pregnant Albertans were not. People have to dig into the provincial government’s COVID-19 website to find that information.<\/p>\n
Dr. Stephanie Cooper,\u00a0a Calgary-based maternal fetal medicine specialist and high-risk obstetrician,\u00a0said the messaging has led to\u00a0confusion among her patients about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. She said a number of her patients thought they couldn’t get the vaccine at all, and some were considering travelling to British Columbia for it.<\/p>\n
‘This is new information to me’: doctor<\/p>\n
A number of physicians tell CBC News they weren’t directly informed pregnant Albertans are eligible for a free COVID-19 shot this fall.<\/p>\n
“It has not been communicated down to us, which is unusual for a public health policy,” said Dr. Fiona Mattatall, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Calgary.<\/p>\n
“There were some rumblings earlier in the summer that pregnancy might have not been included in the coverage in Alberta but that certainly was not in agreement with national guidelines.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dr-fiona-mattatall.jpeg\")
Dr. Fiona Mattatall, a Calgary-based obstetrician and gynecologist, says she didn’t receive any formal notification that pregnant Albertans are eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine. (Submitted by Dr. Fiona Mattatall)<\/p>\n
Mattatall said she heard that pregnant Albertans are eligible through a friend.<\/p>\n
Calgary-based maternal fetal medicine physician\u00a0Dr. Verena Kuret was also unaware pregnant Albertans are covered.<\/p>\n
“This is new information to me,” she said.<\/p>\n
“If that is the case, we welcome that change.”<\/p>\n
According to Kuret, people who are pregnant are at a\u00a0higher risk of severe outcomes<\/a> from a COVID-19 infection and that can lead to higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admissions and preterm birth.<\/p>\n Pregnant people can get much sicker from a viral illness, such as COVID, Cooper added.<\/p>\n “A pregnant mom \u2026 can be very stable until they crash. They can get ill suddenly. And that can impact their baby, themselves, and how we manage that pregnancy is a lot more complicated.”<\/p>\n Government points to eligibility list online<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services\u00a0did not answer questions about whether the province\u00a0notified doctors directly and, if not, why that wasn’t done.<\/p>\n Instead, the spokesperson noted Albertans can find an eligibility list online.<\/p>\n To know if they qualify for a free shot, people can go to the Alberta government’s COVID-19 website<\/a>, scroll down and click on the “Fall 2025-2026 COVID-19 immunization program” tab. Pregnancy is listed under “eligible underlying medical conditions.”<\/p>\n While there was no specific mention of pregnancy in an August announcement<\/a> outlining the final details of the immunization rollout, it did include a link to that website.<\/p>\n