Front Page - November 13, 2009

THE OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN THE CANADIAN WEST

Vol. 127 No.36 Friday, November 13, 2009

ARHA assures no shortage in H1N1 vaccine

PM# 40049987

Minnedosa, Manitoba Canada R0J 1E0

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Day of Remembrance

By AMANDA BOYD

T

he Assiniboine Regional Health Authority (ARHA) has received its first allotment of H1N1, adjuvented (immune system-boosting), vaccines. Along with the seasonal flu vaccinations, H1N1 vaccines are being administered to anyone in the first priority group. Clinics began in this area last week with a clinic in Erickson on Tuesday, November 3rd. A clinic in Minnedosa was held on Thursday, November 5th. “We are still only taking appointments for the first priority group,” stated ARHA Executive Director of Medical Services, Michelle Clark. Pregnant women are not yet being immunized because the ARHA is waiting for the non-adjuvented vaccine to arrive. There has been a lot of confusion over what transplant recipients should do. To begin with, they were advised to receive the adjuvented vaccine, and another day they were told to wait for the non-adjuvented serum. Then there was discussion regarding whether they should get the vaccine at all. “It changes all the time,” Clark concedes. “We just try and keep up to date with the best information we have.” To Clark’s knowledge, the ARHA is one of the few regional health authorities in the province to operate on an appointment-based system. The ARHA has a 1-800 line that people phone to make appointments. The ARHA had advertised that walk-ins are welcome, however based on the demand for, and interest in the H1N1 vaccine, walkins are now being discouraged. Appointments for H1N1 shots were temporarily suspended due to vaccine availability. Regarding vaccine availability, Clark explained, “You can only produce vaccine at a certain rate. In our region we are finding the demand for the vaccine is also higher than we would have anticipated.” Originally, the ARHA estimated a 50% uptake of the vaccine (the percentage of population that would want the vaccine). “You don’t know until you’ve vaccinated the entire population what your uptake is,” she said, “but we’ve certainly seen a huge demand and interest in the vaccination; probably more so than we were expecting.”

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Photo by Amanda Boyd

Piper Dave Mickle leads the Hugh Dyer Branch #138 of the Royal Canadian Legion Colour Party and dignitaries into the Community Conference Centre Wednesday morning for the annual community Remembrance Day service.

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