Vikki Hopes and Dan Kinvig

Abbotsford News

The Abbotsford Heat found themselves under scrutiny on Wednesday after it was revealed that players had received H1N1 flu vaccination shots earlier in the week.

Dave Sheldon, director of communications for the local American Hockey League club, said that 22 of the team’s 27 players had been vaccinated at the West Oaks Medical Centre after a team doctor identified them as high-risk candidates to contract the virus due to their heavy travel schedule.

A number of Heat players had shown flu-like symptoms during a recent 11-day road trip, and 10 players were immunized on Monday when the team returned home. A further 12 players were vaccinated on Tuesday.

“We’re just like any member of Joe Q. Public, in the sense that we went to the clinic just like anyone else did,” Sheldon said. “We were advised that we could get the shot, and we got the shot.”

Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall stated in a media briefing yesterday afternoon that the doctor administering the vaccine did not follow the proper protocol. He said there are no plans to give priority access to professional or amateur sports teams.

“Our vaccine is scarce, and we are trying to focus it on people with underlying health conditions,” he said.

The Calgary Flames, the NHL parent club of the Heat, faced a similar backlash in Alberta on Tuesday when it was reported that Flames players – along with some of their family members, coaching staff and management – had been inoculated with the H1N1 vaccine last Friday.

Sheldon emphasized that the Heat did not obtain their vaccinations in conjunction with the Flames, and that players received their shots within the B.C. public health system.

In a media release on Wednesday afternoon, Heat president Tom Mauthe emphasized that no team personnel, outside of the players, were immunized.

“On a recent road trip, several of the Abbotsford Heat players become ill,” Mauthe said. “Upon their return, our team physician assessed our players on an individual basis. The physician also determined that those players assessed as ‘high risk’ (representing most of the playing complement) should be immunized.

“At no time did anyone from the Abbotsford Heat receive preferential treatment nor did they jump a queue.”

Guidelines for the priority groups who should first receive the H1N1 vaccine were issued when it first became available on Oct. 26. Those who travel are not on the list.

The Abbotsford Heat team physician is Dr. Adrian Windt. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful as of press time Wednesday afternoon.

It has not been confirmed who gave the Heat players their inoculations at the West Oaks Medical Centre.

Workers at the clinic would not talk to media, instead directing all inquiries to their head office. A spokesperson there said due to patient confidentiality, he could not answer questions related to the situation.Fraser Health’s Ray Thorpe said doctors order the vaccine through their local health units and it is up to them to administer it according to the guidelines that address the priority groups. There is no formal monitoring to determine whether they are following the directive.

“It’s at the doctor’s discretion,” Thorpe said.

Dr. Kendall said he will speak with the physician responsible for giving the vaccine to the Heat players, but there are no disciplinary measures that can be taken – “not in law, not under the Public Health Act.”

Kendall said he has not received any other reports of similar incidents.

Meanwhile, news of Heat players being inoculated angered Jodi Shaw, an Abbotsford mom who last week had difficulty getting the shot for her three-year-old son, Trace, who has mild cerebral palsy.

With a compromised immune system, he was among the priority groups identified for the first round of the vaccine, but some medical clinics argued with her that Trace didn’t qualify.

Shaw said she has talked to several healthy people who have been vaccinated, although they do not fall into any of the priority categories.

“They just see their doctor, and their doctors give it to them ... that’s a very frustrating situation.”

The groups identified by Fraser Health as high priority to receive the shot this week are:

– people under 65 with chronic health conditions;

– pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy;

– children six months to less than five years old;

– household members and care providers of infants under six months; and

– household members and care providers of people with weakened immune systems.

Vaccinations aren’t expected to open up to the general public until sufficient supplies of vaccine are available. Provincial officials say production and shipment delays mean they are unlikely to make the vaccine available to all until late November or early December.