By Diane Strandberg

The Tri-City News

Free H1N1 flu vaccines won’t be available at Tri-City public schools during school hours but clinics may be possible in school gyms on weekends if the need arises.

But since clinics were opened Friday to people outside the high-risk groups, the demand and line-ups have been manageable at the existing sites with evening and weekend hours.

“At this point, I think they are continuing to see how well things are going and things are going quite smoothly,” a Fraser Health spokesperson said Monday, noting that between 1,000 and 1,500 people showed up to get flu shots at each of the weekend public clinics held in Coquitlam, Langley and Mission.

School District 43 hasn’t been taken up on its offer for after-hours clinics because the need hasn’t arisen, FHA’s Joan Marshall said.

In the meantime, parents can take their children to their family doctor or go to clinics being offered at various sites, including Port Coquitlam’s Leigh Square tomorrow (Thursday).

Last Friday, about 200 people got their H1N1 vaccine in the first two hours of the clinic’s opening in Port Coquitlam’s Leigh Square, with 18 Fraser Health nurses dispensing the vaccines and explaining possible reactions.

A couple of PoCo firefighters and Mounties also took advantage of the free clinic to get their H1N1 shot.

A security guard managed the line-up and handed out numbers so people wouldn’t lose their place in line.

“I think it’s a moral responsibility [to get a shot],” said Andrea Jordan, who waited in line with her husband, Cam, to get vaccinated.

“It’s one for all and all for one, isn’t it?” she said, admitting she was worried about the vaccine at first but was reassured after doing some research.

Jordan, who works as a noon-hour school supervisor and has two children who both got shots, said she hopes the flu clinics will stop the spread of the disease and prevent a third wave of the virus.

“With the Olympics coming and people arriving, some maybe from countries where the vaccine isn’t available, we have to do our part,” she added.

Her comments were echoed by other people who stood in line for about 45 minutes to get their flu shot on the first day it was made available to the general public. Previously, only those in high-risk categories were eligible for the vaccine.

One woman said she didn’t want to pass on the virus to her aging mother. “She gives you cake and you give her the flu,” she said.

Adelia Adkins said she has been hit hard by the flu in the past and wants to avoid a repeat, adding, “I don’t fight it very well.”

Parents brought toddlers and pulled children out of school to get the vaccination, and one mom questioned why students weren’t being vaccinated at school. More children would likely get the shot if it were more widely available, Laura Wright said.

But Bonnie Pengelly said it was no trouble to bring her nine-year-old son to the clinic and was worth it because some members of her family suffer from asthma and everyone needs to be protected.

HEALTH INFO

• Another clinic will be made available tomorrow (Thursday) from 1 to 7 p.m. at The Old Post Office, 2100-2253 Leigh Sq.

• To find out the location of the nearest clinic or office, contact your local public health unit, doctor’s office or call HealthLinkBC at 811.

• A list of locations for influenza shots is also available on the web at www.immunizebc.ca.

dstrandberg@tricitynews.com