H1N1 | Province to receive 108,000 doses of vaccine next week

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By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

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New Brunswick health officials will open H1N1 vaccination clinics to the general public Nov. 30, thanks to a substantial shipment of the protective flu shot.

The province will receive 108,000 doses of vaccine next week - more than double the amount that had previously been allocated.

Dr. Paul Van Buynder, deputy chief medical officer of health, said that's a tremendous windfall.

"That 108,000 doses represents more vaccine than New Brunswick got for the whole of the first month of the vaccine distribution program," he said.

"It has enabled us to step forward with our program of vaccinating key target groups and to set a definite start date for the rest of the population."

Van Buynder said he's encouraging anyone who belongs to one of the priority groups to visit one of many public flu clinics happening next week - before the sessions are opened to every citizen in the province seven days later.

"Clinics will be run in public settings, but we will also run clinics with industry, with key target partners, and we will increase the amount of vaccine available to family practice at that time," he said.

That means large-scale employers may be asked to host H1N1 vaccine clinics for employees, nursing home staff may conduct clinics for residents and many of New Brunswick's family doctors will be given vaccine for their patients.

More than 70 per cent of children under 10 have been vaccinated, and so have more than 60 per cent of pregnant women.

Clinics have been held in every First Nations community in the province, and about 40 per cent of New Brunswick's high school students have rolled up their sleeves for the vaccine.

Van Buynder said the province has used virtually every dose it's received to date, which is helping to slow the spread of the virus.

"Vaccinating the children of New Brunswick has had an impact on the transmission of the virus. We are starting to see a decline in hospitalizations in cases already," he said.

"I believe the vaccination program, and the success of the targeted vaccination program, has reduced the amount of disease and has had a direct effect on protecting the people of New Brunswick from accessing the virus, being home sick, being hospitalized and having more severe consequences."

He said there has been considerable demand for the vaccine in the province's most vulnerable populations and he hopes to see as many members of the public take advantage of the vaccine campaign.

"If we get the same vaccination coverage in the general population as we've seen in children and pregnant women, then we're going to be in an enormously strong position if the virus itself comes back in January, February and March," he said.

"I'm not sure whether we will see some seasonal influenza arriving, because it hasn't been around during the winter, but I'm going to be extremely surprised if in February and March we're discussing the re-emergence of a third wave of the pandemic."