H1N1 vaccine on its way
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Updated: October 23, 2009 9:23 PM
With nine H1N1 deaths in B.C., the vaccine is getting rolled out to clinics provincewide.
The Interior Health Authority is offering the vaccination in Vernon, Creston and 100 Mile House beginning on Oct. 29, with the rest of the health authority making it available on Nov. 2.
Andrew Larder, IHA senior medical health officer, said the staggering is because they are getting the vaccine in smaller batches.
“That’s why we are offering the vaccine to those that will benefit the most from its use first — those people at greater risk of serious health complications from H1N1," he said.
Highest risk groups include pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy, people under age 65 with chronic health conditions and those in rural and remote communities, including First Nations.
Starting the week of Nov. 2, Larder said children six months old to less than five years old, health-care workers involved with the pandemic response of delivery of essential health services and others in their household, care providers of infants less than six months of age and people who are immunocompromised will be immunized.
Once those groups have had the opportunity to get immunized, the clinics will be open to anyone who needs or wants an H1N1 vaccine, free of charge, and will be held jointly with the seasonal flu clinics underway.
“We are also recommending that those eligible to receive both their H1N1 vaccine and their seasonal flu shot get them at the same time,” Larder said.
Seasonal flu clinics are also expanding to offer the free vaccine to anyone who has been eligible in past years, not just those over 65 years.
This includes people 65 years and older, their caregivers and household contacts, children and adults with chronic health conditions and their household contacts, people ages six months to 18 years with acetylsalicylic acid and their household contacts, healthy children ages six to 23 months, household contacts and caregivers of infants from birth to 23 months, pregnant women in their third trimester and their household contacts, residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities, health care and other care providers in facilities and community settings who are capable of transmitting influenza to those at high risk of influenza complications and people who work with live poultry or swine.
In Kamloops, seasonal flu clinics will take place on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Calvary Community Church, 1205 Rogers Way, and at the Kamloops Alliance Church, 233 Fortune Dr.
No appointment is needed.
For more information on seasonal and swine flu, visit interiorhealth.ca, dial 811 for HealthLink BC or call your local public-health centre.
