Rolling up their sleeves

HEALTH: H1N1 clinics up and running in Simcoe County

Posted By IAN MCINROY

Posted 23 days ago

Despite long lineups for H1N1 vaccinations, hundreds of area residents waited patiently at Barrie's flu clinic, yesterday.

Although Mother Nature provided a mix of sun, rain and even a spattering of snow, many were surprised the wait wasn't as long as Toronto-area clinics last week.

Most people took the experience in stride.

Gary Paine, of Alcona, was encouraged to get the shot because of a medical condition and was happily surprised things were moving along smoothly.

"I was expecting a huge lineup," he said after leaving the immunization area of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit clinic, located in Barrie by the Bay on Bradford Street. "It was almost two hours. That's not too bad. It's better than Toronto."

Like everyone being immunized there, Paine had to first wait in line earlier in the morning to receive an appointment time for later that day.

When people returned, there was about a two-hour wait before they received the vaccine, according to the health unit's medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner.

"The registration system we're using has had some success, but we're going to have to fine-tune it," he said.

"We're getting more crowds at different times of the day, so people were backed up in the registration line, where some were waiting for up to an hour," he added. "We've had to adjust and learn and adjust the times that people came back."

The health unit's clinics -- utilizing 350 health workers as well as volunteers and municipal staff in some areas -- across the area were busy, Gardner said.

"We're having good numbers at all six clinics in Simcoe Muskoka and definitely in Barrie," he said.

Gardner said local health officials "were a little over optimistic" about how many people they could vaccinate in an hour.

"Our original estimate for 1,800 vaccinations per day at the Barrie clinic was an ambitious goal," he said. "We're not meeting that. We're not keeping up to that pace. We're learning what our pace can actually be and that will lead to less waiting times."

As of 3 p. m., yesterday, those waiting in line to register would receive an appointment for a vaccination today.

People were already waiting to register when the doors at the Barrie clinic opened at 10 a. m., yesterday.

Terry Worrall, and two of his 'dad' buddies, started lining up outside Barrie by the Bay at 5 a. m. to get a jump on everybody else.

"It was worth it to get up and get it out of the way," he said, adding he made appointments for his family for 10 a. m. when the immunizations began and they waited about 90-minutes for their shots.

Worrall said he doesn't normally get a flu shot.

"I thought this was a bit more serious after the kids died in Cornwall and Toronto. I didn't think I wanted to gamble with my kids getting it," he added.

There is currently "a limited supply" of the H1N1 vaccine, Gardner said.

"In the next week, we'll be getting about a quarter of what we were expecting, about 7,000 doses," he said, adding about 40,000 doses have been delivered to clinics, hospitals for their staff and to about half of the areas family physicians.

There are about 120,000 people in the health unit's first sequence of high risk groups.

Along with the 37,000 doses on hand, the unit has about two-thirds coverage for the at-risk groups, Gardner said.

"We feel that will be enough for the clinics and to flow to hospitals to vaccinate their staff and for family physicians," he said.

In time, the health unit "will be reaching all people," he added.

Ontario's top health official, Dr. Arlene King, said yesterday it is possible vaccines will be offered in places of employment and in schools.

"There has certainly been discussion about that," Gardner said, adding the health unit would initially still be trying to focus on the high-risk groups. "There are 207 schools in the health unit's area and with limited staff and resources, it wouldn't be practical to set up clinics in all of them."

imcinroy@thebarrieexaminer.com

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Barrie/Innisfil H1N1 clinic schedule

H1N1 vaccine clinics began this week in Simcoe County. Officials from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit are asking that only those considered high-risk seek out a shot this week. Below is a list of clinics in Barrie and Innisfil:

Nov. 4, 5-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m., Barrie by the Bay, 80 Bradford Street, Unit 100 (use entrance No. 1) Nov. 6-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m., Stroud Innisfil Community Centre, 2nd floor (7883Yonge St., corner ofYonge and Victoria streets)

Nov. 7-- 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 10-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 13-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 14-- 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Barrie By the Bay Nov. 17, 18, 19-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 20-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Stroud Innisfil Community Centre, 2nd floor

Nov. 21-- 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 24, 25, 26-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Barrie by the Bay Nov. 27-- 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. Stroud Innisfil Community Centre, 2nd floor

Nov. 28-- 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Barrie by the Bay