Ottawa H1N1 vaccination suspended as of Friday
Clinics to close at the end of Thursday because of vaccine shortage
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | 3:07 PM ET
CBC News
Swine flu vaccination clinics in Ottawa will temporarily close at the end of Thursday because there is not enough vaccine, the Ottawa Public Health department announced Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, we have no control over vaccine supply and must rely on other levels of government and the producing pharmaceutical company," said Dr. Isra Levy, the city's medical officer of health.
"This temporary halt in service will be as brief as possible, and planning is already underway to ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations when adequate vaccine supply is delivered," he said.
The public health department said that by the end of Thursday, it will have distributed almost 190,000 doses of the vaccine to priority groups. The vaccine inoculates against the strain of H1N1 influenza virus responsible for the current swine flu pandemic.
The 190,000 people who are expected to be vaccinated represent roughly 22 per cent of Ottawa's population. The overall goal of the vaccination effort is to vaccinate a minimum of 40 per cent of residents before December.
"We continue to see a strong demand for the vaccine in the community," said Dr. Levy.
"We welcome the pending provincial decisions to expand vaccination priority to new groups. Once the supply delivery plan is more solid and our clinic operations resume again, these changes will be reflected in our vaccination plan," he said.
All Ottawa clinics were open Wednesday.
By 1 p.m. Wednesday, at a clinic at 100 Constellation Crescent, there were approx. 500 wristbands available.
At the Orléans clinic, there were about 600 wristbands available. Orléans wristband distribution has moved from the Shenkman Arts Centre back to the Orléans Service Centre.
The Kanata clinic had approximately 400 wristbands available for priority groups, and the Jim Durrell Arena had about 200 wristbands available.
For information on the clinics go to ottawa.ca/health or contact the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744.
