Ottawa flu clinics hand out more wristbands
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 | 4:17 PM ET
CBC News
Two Ottawa swine flu vaccine clinics are handing out additional wristband passes after reaching capacity and turning people away earlier in the day.
At 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the West Carleton Community Complex clinic began handing out 100 additional wristbands. The Kanata Recreation Complex clinic announced it could take on 200 more patients. Ottawa Public Health said the clinic at the Fred Barrett Arena is also making some additional wristbands available on a first-come first-served basis.
Wristbands for the H1N1 clinic at 100 Constellation Crescent were handed out beginning at 1 p.m., and the clinic will start vaccinations at 5 p.m. About 100 bracelets remained at the Vanier-Richelieu clinic at 11 a.m., Ottawa Public Health said.
The health agency issues the single-use, non-transferable wristbands to indicate what time each person should arrive at a clinic for her or his shot.
The clinics at the Orleans Client Service Centre and the Tom Brown Arena reached capacity and will not accept additional patients. Ottawa Public Health, however, said clinics that have stopped accepting new clients will make exceptions for individual health workers who still need vaccinations.
With the existing supply of H1N1 vaccine expected to last no more than four days, Ottawa flu clinics are narrowing their definition of priority groups.
Up until now, parents and caregivers of people at risk of contracting the swine flu have been able to get vaccinated as well.
But Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's associate medical officer of health, said low-risk individuals will no longer be given wristbands and won't be given the vaccine until the city's stockpiles are restored — and she said she's not sure if that will happen before the end of the week.
As well as the five clinics that opened across the city Tuesday, there will be mobile clinics dispensing the vaccine in West Carleton and at the Fred Barrett Arena.
