B.C. expands flu vaccine eligibility
Another 258,000 doses arrive next week
Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 5:40 PM PT
The Canadian Press
Swine flu information
- CBC FEATURE: H1N1 swine flu
- MAP: B.C. flu clinic locator
- Immunize BC: H1N1 updates
- Provincial H1N1 updates
- H1N1 symptom checker
- B.C. Centre for Disease Control updates
- H1N1 guidelines for B.C. physicians
- Federal H1N1 updates
- Pregnacy, breastfeeding and H1N1
- How to look after someone with H1N1
- World Health Organization H1N1 updates
More flu vaccine is on the way to B.C. and more people will be eligible to get inoculated. (CBC)B.C. will expand its eligibility list for the swine flu vaccine starting Monday to include healthy children, seniors with chronic conditions and health-care workers.
The province has received another 250,000 doses of vaccine, following a shortage felt across the country, and expects to receive another 258,000 next week.
Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.'s provincial health officer, said the federal government decision to approve non-adjuvanted vaccine for healthy people between the ages of 10 and 64 also added to the supply.
And he said the Public Health Agency of Canada's new recommendations for children, that they need only one dose of vaccine, means the vaccine supply the province has will go further.
But he warned that there is not enough vaccine for all of those who will be eligible to get the shots immediately.
"We know the number of people in these new eligibility groups is significantly more than the amount of vaccine we will have available next week, so not everyone should expect to be immunized in the next week," Kendall told reporters.
"I anticipate that we could run out of vaccine by next week. But we would rather it run out and get into people's arms, than have it sitting in our fridges so that we could continue vaccinating people in dribs and drabs throughout the week.
"It doesn't make sense to hold back on the vaccine."
Pregnant women, children six months to five years, First Nations and residents of remote areas and front-line health care workers were given priority in the first weeks of the program.
Nearly one million doses injected in B.C.
As of next week, people 65 years and over who suffer from chronic health conditions will be eligible for vaccinations, along with healthy children aged five to 18, first responders and remaining health-care workers.
Kendall urged residents to call ahead and book appointments at vaccination clinics or their doctor's office.
"My message would be if you can't get the vaccine next week, then you'll get it the week after or the week after that. We will have vaccine for everybody in these groups but it's going to be, for the next little while, on a first-come, first-serve basis."
To date, more than 900,000 B.C. residents have been vaccinated against the pandemic virus, which Kendall has expressed hope has hit a plateau in the province.
Kendall said access to the vaccine, despite the expanded list, will vary from region to region. Demand has varied, he said, so it has been hard to predict.
And he noted that distribution has been somewhat delayed in the northern regions of the province, where distribution and access pose some challenges.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Homicide follows Vancouver family argument
- One person is dead following an apparent family argument in a Vancouver home Tuesday, police say. more »
- Adults told B.C. teen had taken ecstasy
- A B.C. court has been told that two adults had been told a teenage B.C. girl later found dead had taken ecstasy before a party at the home of the woman charged in relation to the death. more »
- Tires slashed on more than 100 cars in Surrey
- At least 100 cars have had their tires slashed in a widespread vandalism spree in Surrey Tuesday, police say. more »
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- An off-duty RCMP officer involved in a deadly collision told a police officer he'd taken two shots of vodka after the crash to "calm his nerves," a B.C. court has heard - but his lawyer says the statement should be dissallowed. more »
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Crown seeks up to 18 months for Stanley Cup rioter
- Sperm donor anonymity case opens in B.C. Appeal Court
- Enbridge offered First Nations cash to study pipeline
- HIV-positive B.C. man jailed for assault, child porn
- Charges laid in $150,000 fraud of Vancouver Firefighters Band
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- Osoyoos Times apologizes for 'slanderous' RCMP article
