Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc credits the creation of special vaccination clinics for the province's success in doling out the vaccine. (CBC)Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc says the province's decision to open special vaccination clinics is largely responsible for helping it distribute more of the H1N1 vaccine than any other province.
As of Friday, Quebec had vaccinated more than 800,000 people, compared with only 322,000 in Ontario.
The province was able to do so because it decided early on to administer the vaccine at special centres outside the existing health-care system, leaving hospitals to take care of the sick.
Initially, Bolduc said only 40 per cent of Quebecers including health-care workers wanted the vaccine. But Bolduc said public opinion changed after the sudden death of a 13-year-old Toronto teen Evan Frustaglio.
"We know now that between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of the population want to be vaccinated."
Coupon system
Though there has been some confusion over who is eligible for the vaccine, and where and when it is available, the province took action to address lengthy lineups after some people were forced to wait hours in the cold in regions like Saint-Eustache.
Meanwhile, the lineups continue in urban areas of Ontario, including Toronto.
Bolduc praised Quebec’s decision to use a coupon system. Coupons provide patients with an appointment when they can come back for their vaccine, and the system was first launched in the Gatineau region.
The idea was the brainchild of Denis Beaudoin, assistant head of the Gatineau Health and Social Services Centre — who, like Bolduc, is trained in Toyota’s "just-in-time supply system. The system operates using the principle "what is needed, when it is needed and in the amount needed."
The province’s biggest concern now is having enough vaccine to go around.
Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc says the province is preparing for this wave of the H1N1 virus to peak in two to three weeks. (CBC)
"We don’t know how it is going to be in the next few weeks, but at this moment we do our best," said Bolduc. "And that means to vaccinate almost everyone as soon as possible."
Bolduc said the province is also preparing to cope with the peak of the flu season, which is expected in the next two to three weeks. Already, an average of 10,000 cases are reported each day in the province.
Health-care officials in Montreal said they will open special clinics to treat flu patients, starting Monday, to help keep them out of hospital emergency rooms.
5th death reported
Quebec has reported its fifth death related to the H1N1 virus since Aug. 30. A 61-year-old woman in the Outaouais region of west Quebec died Thursday.
Officials said the woman had underlying health conditions.
