Some health-care workers nervous about swine flu shots
Last Updated: Monday, October 26, 2009 | 5:44 PM CT
CBC News
Mass H1N1 vaccinations of people involved in health care began Monday in Saskatchewan, amid concerns voiced by some workers.
Public health nurse Heather Burns says getting an H1N1 shot is the right thing to do, but some of her colleagues in health care have concerns. (CBC)
Among those getting the shot was Tania Diener, the medical officer of health for the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. Diener dismissed suggestions the vaccine might be unsafe or ineffective, saying it was developed with the same rigorous standards as other vaccines.
"They did not take any shortcuts, so once the vaccine is released by Health Canada, I have full confidence in the safety of it," she said.
Heather Burns, the public health nurse who administered Diener's vaccine, said she would be getting vaccinated later in the day.
"I have little ones at home and I also work in an environment where I could put my clients at risk and so I feel it's my responsibility to protect everyone around me," Burns said.
By next week, depending on supplies, the vaccine will be offered to about 120,000 people in the province with high-risk conditions: people with underlying health conditions, young children, pregnant women and people from First Nations and remote communities.
By mid-November, the vaccine should be available to every Saskatchewan resident who wants it.
However, comments from public health workers who were protesting contracts talks at the legislature Monday, suggest some have concerns and might not be getting the H1N1 vaccine.
"I don't know if … it's not been tested enough for me," said Amanda Gray, a home-care worker. "It does concern me."
Judy Teniuk, who works in long-term care, said she will get the shot but among the colleagues she has spoken to, only about half are ready to do the same.
"I feel uncomfortable about it, but I'll get it," she said.
In New York state recently, there has been a debate about whether H1N1 shots for public health workers should be mandatory.
According to Saskatchewan health officials, there's no mandatory flu shot policy in the province. Public health workers have a right to refuse an H1N1 shot, just as they have a right to refuse the regular influenza shot.
