Manitoba's Health Minister says it is too early to speculate how bad this year's flu season will be.

According to Southern Health, the flu season of 2018-19 had relatively low influenza activity. Health Minister Cameron Friesen is not about to suggest this year will be any worse, just because of a shortage in the flu vaccine.

Friesen says having a vaccine shortage is not unheard of. He says it is complex working with companies and trying to get needed drugs into the jurisdiction. In this particular case, the shortage is being felt across the country. Friesen says they are in talks with other provinces, as well as the federal government and public health to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

"In this case, there are two companies in particular who are experiencing challenges in production and in distribution," says Friesen.

The Health Minister says Manitoba has protocols in place for when these sorts of problems arise. He says they will use the vaccine they currently have in the jurisdiction. Friesen says a prioritization schedule will be made to ensure those most in need get the vaccine.

Again, Friesen says this does not mean this year's flu outbreak will be any worse.

"It's too early for any kind of speculation like that," he says. "We understand that there should be a fix coming quite soon and we will provide that update."

Friesen acknowledges it might mean a slight delay in when they kick off the flu campaign.

Meanwhile, Southern Health said in May that about 16.3 per cent of residents within the region were immunized last fall. That is up from 15.5 per cent the previous year. However, that percentage is still well below the provincial average. May numbers show 23.6 per cent of Manitobans were immunized with the seasonal influenza vaccine, up from 22.5 per cent a year earlier.