Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell says it could be months before vaccines for shingles will be rolled out to everyone over the age of 50.

Government announced in March that they will be covering shingles shots for people aged 65 to 70 beginning on June 1, with people over the age of 70 having to pay out of pocket unless they are immunocompromised.

Yesterday, Premier John Hogan revealed in the legislature that government is expanding that program to include everyone over the age of 50.

Howell says she is working with suppliers to find more vaccines for the province, but rules out having the expanded program ready by the summer.

“There will be a little bit of time to procure the vaccine. We’re part of the nationwide procurement. We’re in the queue, but we’ll get onto that as soon as possible and once the vaccine is received and our plan is formalized, we’ll be sure to let the people of Newfoundland and Labrador know,” she says.

When asked about a fall timeline, Howell states that “I wouldn’t be able to say because I don’t honestly know how long it’ll take for us to get the medication.”