Flu shot season begins Monday across Alberta

The push is on to get more Calgarians vaccinated against the flu this year.

Flu clinics open across Alberta Monday, and health officials are hoping to get more people vaccinated than last year but that means fighting the fear of getting the flu from the shot.

"The chances [are] pretty low because the flu shot is inactivated vaccine, it means that it's kind of killed vaccine," said Lee Kim, a pharmacist in Calgary.

"It cannot cause you illness but it's strong enough to activate your immune system against flu virus."

According to Alberta Health Services, only about 23 per cent of people were vaccinated last year.

Provincial authorities are hoping to increase that by at least 10 per cent this year.

The vaccine is also available as a nasal spray for children between the ages of two and 17.