Firefighters left off H1N1 vaccine list
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: November 05, 2009 5:04 PM
While paramedics became eligible for the H1N1 vaccine this week, fire departments are still waiting.
Victoria fire Chief Doug Angrove said all first responders should have been included.
"We certainly don't begrudge (paramedics) ... we just feel that the other part of the delivery of pre-hospital care locally has not been looked after because a lot of the patients that the ambulance personal are seeing, we're seeing too, and we want to reduce the risk to our employees," said Angrove.
This week those eligible for the H1N1 vaccine expanded to include front-line health-care workers, but that didn't include fire departments, said Shannon Marshall, spokesperson for the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
"We have to follow the vaccine sequence in accordance with provincial policy, and I haven't heard when we will be issuing vaccine to firefighters."
Esquimalt Fire Department Deputy Chief Gord Anderson said provisions were made for his department to get the regular flu shot in past years, and the same should be done now.
"We certainly want our people to have the opportunity to have it because of the nature of providing medical service and the proximity of people with H1N1. We're taking the steps that we can, but we can't control anything to do with the shots unfortunately," he said.
Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall met with reporters Wednesday saying there's just not enough vaccine to go around.
"Once we get more vaccine, then we'll make it more available. At the moment we don't have enough vaccine to make it available to every first responder, whether they're police, whether they're fire or whether they're a paramedic," he said.
There is no date when the vaccine will be available to fire departments.
lweighton@vicnews.com
v2
