Quebec's chief public health officer says it is important for people to be vaccinated. (CBC)Quebec’s chief public health officer says he is concerned people may become complacent about getting vaccinated as swine flu approaches its peak in the province.

Nearly two million Quebecers — about one-quarter of the population — have been vaccinated so far, Dr. Alain Poirier said Monday.

Public health experts still don’t know what percentage of the population must be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus to block the spread of the flu, he said. It is clear, however, that not enough Quebecers have had shots.

At Montreal’s Palais des congrès on Monday, more people were lined up for coffee at the food court than were waiting in line to be vaccinated.

"Maybe we should have some doughnuts at the vaccination centre to have people come for their vaccine," Poirier said.

The province expected to receive 1.1 million doses of the vaccine this week.

Last week, Poirier indicated that if the sole producer of the vaccine, Quebec-based GlaxoSmithKline, can maintain its production levels, the vaccination of the general public could start this week.

Although the wider vaccinations haven't begun, Poirier worried some people are losing interest in getting the shots as hospitalizations from flu begin to stabilize. Getting vaccinated is as important as ever, he said.

"If you can get away from that disease with just a small needle then you do it, because then you will protect all sorts of people who — in the pyramid — are more at risk," he said. "And they will be hospitalized and in intensive care, and some of them will die."EMSB vice-chair Sylvia Lo Bianco says the board is being prudent in its planning to bus students to vaccination centres. (CBC)

There are also signs the number of flu cases is starting to stabilize in the province’s schools.

Two weeks ago, the rate of absenteeism was above 10 per cent across a total of 540 schools, said Michel C. Doré, Quebec's deputy minister of public security. On Monday, Doré said the number had been cut in half, with only 215 schools reporting high rates of students out sick.

"This is encouraging, and with the vaccination that is continuing, we expect the problem of absenteeism to continue to decline," Doré said.

Busing of children starts in Montreal

Monday was the first day school-aged children were being bused to vaccination centres on the island of Montreal.

Though students at the French-language Marguerite Bourgeoys School Board are already being bused to vaccination centres, Montreal’s two English school boards said it could take until next week before they start. Most schools only began sending out parental consent forms on Monday.

Officials at the English Montreal School Board said they wanted to be prudent and meet with administrators to discuss the process first.

Vice-chairwoman Sylvia Lo Bianco school boards have yet to learn who will foot the bill for the plan, but this hasn’t affected the speed of their planning.

"How do you attach a dollar sign to the life an individual, to the life of a child? That's what it boils down to."

Public health officials have encouraged parents to take their children to be vaccinated on their own, if possible, rather than wait for the schools to organize transportation.