It’s flu season—time to get vaccinated! 

_{November 6, 2025}

Flu season is here. Each year in Canada about five to 10 per cent of adults and 20 to 30 per cent of children are infected with influenza, usually in the late fall and winter (Toronto Public Health).  

Some simple steps can help you—and the people around you—stay healthy this flu season: 

• Wash your hands regularly. Make hand hygiene a priority to prevent illness. 
• If you can, stay home if you’re not feeling well, to avoid spreading the flu and to protect the health of others 
• Mask up in public if you have symptoms or someone at home is sick, to reduce virus spread. 

Get the flu vaccine 

Getting the flu vaccine each year is the best way to prevent the flu. Vaccines are free and widely available (mainly at your local pharmacy).  

The flu vaccine is safe and helps protect everyone, including those at higher risk of hospitalization:  children, pregnant people, older adults, and those with health conditions. It’s recommended for children 6 months and older. The vaccine is safe—in fact, it’s much safer to get the flu vaccine than to get the flu. 

In Toronto the flu vaccine is available at: 

• Participating pharmacies for people two years of age and older (click on the link and enter your postal code to find a pharmacy offering vaccines near you). Contact any pharmacy in your neighbourhood to find out more. Large pharmacy chains have websites you can use to book an appointment. Here are just a few:  

• PC Health (you can book with pharmacies at your local Shoppers, Loblaws, NoFrills, Valu-Mart, Fortinos, or Real Canadian Superstore) 
• Rexall pharmacies 
• Metro, Food Basics pharmacies 
• Doctors’ offices (for people six months of age and older, contact your doctor to make an appointment) 
• Toronto Public Health community clinics (you need to make an appointment for children six to 36 months of age) 

Before you go: 

• Make an appointment for you and your family. Pharmacies offer flu vaccines on a drop-in basis, but you may have a long wait time if you go without an appointment. 
• Screen yourself and your family for symptoms of illness  before going to the appointment. 
• Stay home if you feel sick, even if your symptoms are mild. Call to cancel your appointment and reschedule. 

Links to useful information 

Find good overview information about the flu and flu vaccine from Toronto Public Health. 

Multilingual information about the flu vaccine you can share with your community in English, French, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dari, Hindi, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Urdu. 

If your child gets sick, the Ontario College of Family Physicians has tips on caring for children with respiratory symptoms, including the flu. Learn how to help support your sick child at home and when to call a health care provider. This information is also available in Arabic , Farsi , French , Hindi , Italian , Portuguese , Punjabi , Simplified Chinese , Spanish , Tamil , Traditional Chinese , and Urdu.