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By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

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Health officials say it's likely that thousands of New Brunswickers have battled the H1N1 virus over the past few weeks.

Emergency rooms and medical offices have been crowded across the province, but Dr. Eilish Cleary, chief medical officer of health, said most people have been able to get over it without assistance.

"We're continuing to see widespread H1N1 activity in the province. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had several hundred lab-confirmed cases," she said.

"For every lab-confirmed case, of course, there will be many more people who have had symptoms and stayed home, got better without seeking medical attention. So we would expect that there probably have been at least a couple of thousand cases of H1N1 in the province so far."

Cleary said New Brunswick is also starting to see more serious cases, such as 18 new hospitalizations tied to the pandemic flu.

"That brings our total (hospitalizations) to 23 since the pandemic began in April," she said.

Six of the new cases involve children under the age of 10; seven involve people between the ages of 11-20; three relate to people between 21-29; and two involve people aged 30 years or older.

"Most have been discharged and are recovering well," she told reporters.

More than 120,000 New Brunswickers have received the H1N1 vaccine to date.

The largest vaccination program in the history of New Brunswick will continue today with clinics targeting First Nations residents and pregnant women.

A clinic will be held for members of the Kingsclear First Nation at Wulastukw Elementary School between 1-7 p.m., and another for pregnant women will be held between 1-7 p.m. at the Birchview Room in the Fredericton Public Health Office, located at 300 St. Mary's St.

But many of the regional clinics planned for the next few week have been postponed due to a shortage of vaccine, so it's essential that residents consult the government's influenza website, or call the toll-free hotline, before they rush out the door to the public clinics.

Cleary said the province has about 11,000 doses of adjuvanted vaccine - that contain an immune-system boosting additive - and 4,500 doses of the unadjuvanted shot, which has been earmarked for pregnant women.

She said New Brunswick's regional health authorities are continually revising plans for public vaccination clinics, based on the amount of vaccine that's available.

"They will continue to run the clinics that they can with that amount," she said. "They are having to look to see how they can best accommodate those who most need it, so there may be some more cancellations, there may be some postponements, until we get vaccine."