Alberta has become the ninth of Canada’s 10 provinces to offer free RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) immunization to all babies born in hospital during the respiratory virus season, according to CBC News. The move extends a program that was previously limited to high-risk infants only.
The provincial government announced the change on Monday, September 14, 2026, making RSV immunization free for all newborns born in hospital between November and April. The decision brings Alberta in line with guidance issued this spring by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which recommended that all provinces adopt universal seasonal RSV protection for infants. With Alberta’s move, only one province has yet to offer the immunization free of charge.
The announcement coincided with the release of University of Calgary–led research examining RSV outcomes across seven pediatric hospitals in Ontario and Quebec — the first two provinces to introduce universal coverage. Analyzing data from the 2024–2025 season, the study found that the immunization — a single-dose monoclonal antibody called nirsevimab (sold as Beyfortus) — reduced ICU admissions among infants by 97 per cent.
Dr. Stephen Freedman, who led the University of Calgary research, noted that RSV places one of the heaviest burdens on the health-care system each respiratory season, particularly between December and March. According to Freedman, children hospitalized with RSV face a hospitalization rate roughly double that seen with influenza during flu season, and because no targeted treatment exists for the virus itself, care is limited to supportive management — sometimes over days or weeks in hospital.
Alberta’s own respiratory virus data show that 549 infants were hospitalized with RSV last season, 66 of whom required ICU care. No deaths were reported.
By offering the immunization shortly after birth — before infants are meaningfully exposed to RSV in the community — health officials aim to reduce severe illness and hospitalization in the first months of life. Freedman described the expanding provincial adoption of infant RSV immunization as an encouraging trend, one that stands to improve outcomes for children well beyond the most severe cases.
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Want to understand your options for protecting against RSV and other respiratory infections? Explore immunization information for RSV, flu, pneumonia and COVID-19 on the Lung Health Foundation’s Immunization page.
Source: CBC News, Kelsea Arnett, “Alberta now providing free RSV vaccines to newborns after calls from pediatricians to expand access,” Sept. 16, 2026.
