A family doctor in Winnipeg wonders just how many people will decide to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.

Darcy Johnson said most of his patients are unsure about whether to get the swine flu shot or not. He has been conducting an informal survey of his patients about their intentions. The majority have either said they will not get it, or that they don't know.

The main reason, he said, is "uncertainty as to side-effects and their personal risks and the fact that it's new."

Canada's top health officials have insisted the vaccine is safe and have been urging the public to get it.

Mass vaccination is the only way to stop the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus, chief public health officer Dr. David Butler-Jones said at a town hall meeting in Iqaluit last week.

However, a federal committee of medical experts has yet to issue a statement on licensing the vaccine's use in Canada.

Johnson said it's hard to sell people on the vaccine when even he doesn't know all the details about side effects.

"Our staff gets many more phone calls, concerns from people. We're spending a lot more time trying to explain, yet we don't have the definite information to give to people so we need more information from the public health folks," he said.

Second wave of H1N1 in Manitoba

Meanwhile, provincial health officials say the anticipated second wave of the H1N1 flu virus has begun to strike Manitobans.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Joel Kettner confirmed that there were three diagnosed cases of H1N1, also known as swine flu, in Manitoba in September.

It's a sign Kettner called "early evidence" of the start of an H1N1 outbreak.