Vaccine delay may have led to flu deaths: Swann
Last Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 | 2:42 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann is standing by recent comments he made about how the rollout of the province's H1N1 vaccination program may have created delays in getting the vaccine to high-risk people, resulting in deaths.
"I'm saying this may have contributed to increased death rate and hospitalization rate in this province and there's a long tradition of ministerial responsibility," Swann said Monday.
As of Monday, Alberta has reported 47 deaths and 1,042 hospital admissions linked to swine flu since the start of the outbreak in April.
Swann is asking for numbers comparing death rates for high-risk people who received the vaccine and for those who didn't.
Unlike other provinces, Alberta offered the vaccine to the general public when it launched its vaccination program on Oct. 26.
High demand created lineups as long as four hours at some clinics, prompting criticism that high-risk groups, like those with chronic medical conditions, weren't getting timely access to the vaccine.
Shortage raised concerns
The province temporarily shut down the clinics on Oct. 31 amid fears of a national vaccine shortage. When the clinics reopened, the province rolled out vaccinations in stages by gradually adding high-risk groups.
The program reopened to the general public on Monday.
Swann criticizes Health Minister Ron Liepert for the strategy. While Liepert was unhappy with Swann's comments, he didn't demand an apology or a retraction.
"I think that there are things that happened that if we had to do it all over again, there are some things we'd do differently," Liepert said. "I believe there are also some things that have been said over the past four or five weeks that, if people had to do it all over again, they'd do it differently."
On Monday, the rollout of vaccines to the general public appeared to go smoothly, with minimal waits for shots at clinics in Edmonton and Calgary.
