The P.E.I. government has closed its flu assessment centre in O'Leary after the number of new cases of swine flu dropped off over the weekend.
'I don't know if it's me wanting to be optimistic,' says chief health officer Dr. Heather Morrison about the likelihood of flu infections having peaked. (CBC) The province's other three assessment centres, in Summerside, Charlottetown and Souris, will remain open. The centres are meant to ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.
During the weekend, visits to the centre in O'Leary fell to a point where health officials said it was no longer necessary. They said it would be reopened if required.
Another good sign for the province Monday was a declining number of schools reporting absentee rates of 10 per cent or more due to flu-like symptoms. That prompted chief health officer Dr. Heather Morrison to suggest the second wave of flu on the Island may have passed its peak.
"I don't know if it's me wanting to be optimistic, but I certainly have that sense from the last couple of days, that we haven't seen that continued sharp spike over the weekend," said Morrison.
"But again, I really remain cautious."
Further vaccine clinics planned
Morrison said there is still the possibility of further waves of swine flu sweeping over the province, and is still recommending people get the vaccine.
The Island will receive 4,500 doses of H1N1 vaccine this week, still well below the 18,000 it was expecting to receive weekly.
There will be enough doses to proceed with vaccination of children in Grades 4 to 6. That will happen later this week. There is a clinic Tuesday for people in high-risk groups, and another on Saturday. Vaccinations of junior and senior high school students are scheduled for next week, when the province is expecting its full order of 18,000 doses.
Morrison said the province's vaccination program is about one week behind schedule due the short orders. Thirty-one thousand Islanders have received the shot so far.
Since the second wave of flu hit the province it has led to the hospitalization of 29 people, said Morrison, with five of those ending up in intensive care.
1 shot for children may be sufficient
Young children and their parents may be getting some good news Tuesday on the flu front.
Morrison expects to hear Tuesday whether children under 10 will need to get two H1N1 shots.
The original plan was that children under 10 get two shots, three weeks apart. The child's shot contains only half the adult dose, and health officials were uncertain if one shot would provide the necessary immunity.
A national advisory committee has been looking at whether children get enough immunity to swine flu with one shot, and Morrison expects to hear from them Tuesday.
"If we do not have to have public health nursing go back into the schools for all the children who would need a half dose, and have thousands of children between the ages of six months to five years come back, it certainly would help from a logistical point of view," she said.
Initial data shows children do have good immunity after half a dose.
Morrison the decision on whether to give a second dose will be based on science, and availability of vaccine will not be taken into account.
