Expired flu shots given to seniors at Toronto retirement home
A group of seniors were given expired flu vaccine shots at a Toronto retirement home last week.
The executive director for Villa Colombo, a retirement home located near Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street, confirmed that a "small" number of residents were given doses that were dated for earlier this year.
"The medical director was immediately contacted after notice of the error that morning, and provided assurance that expired flu vaccine is not potent should have no side effects or risk of harm," Toni Dell’Aquila said in a statement.
"Families of the affected residents were also notified and residents were monitored for 72 hours out of an abundance of caution."
Dell'Aquila said there were no adverse reactions to the doses and the facility is working with its pharmacist and Toronto Public Health to review its policies and processes for unused vaccines.
He also said that all residents who have consented to a flu shot will receive a vaccine.
Flu shots are available throughout the month of October for seniors, children between six months and four years old, pregnant women and other individuals at high risk of flu complications.
In November all Ontarians will become eligible.
Ontario has purchased 7.6 million doses of flu shot this year, an increase of 1.4 million in 2020.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said that 1.8 million of those doses have been earmarked for seniors.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.