North Bay youngster with H1N1 critical
Posted By Jennnifer Hamilton - Sun Media
Posted 22 days ago
NORTH BAY — A young child from this area confirmed to have H1N1 is in critical condition, according to the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.
Dr. Jim Chirico said the child was transferred to a hospital outside the area for treatment.
He would not give the age or sex of the child or the name of the hospital.
Meanwhile, Chirico confirmed a man with ties to North Bay has died from the H1N1 virus in another part of the province.
"It's my understanding that he was young," Chirico said Thursday afternoon, declining to release the man's name or where he died.
The news comes as stocks of the H1N1 vaccine are being replenished.
The health unit received 5,000 doses Thursday for high risk people.
"They will be distributed to hospitals and doctors' offices who've agreed to vaccinate, North East Community Care Access Centre, Nipissing University and Canadore College health centre, group homes and high-risk First Nation communities."
Chirico said the vaccine continued to come in with little notice, acknowledging staff expected to wait about two weeks before another shipment arrived.
He said it's still not known when clinics for the general public will be held.
"We're going to have to change our approach. We don't have the staff to hold little clinics. Mass clinics will be held in Sturgeon Falls, Parry Sound, Sundridge, Mattawa and North Bay," Chirico said.
"As we receive vaccine shipments, we will co-ordinate these mass clinics."
Public clinics were suppose to begin last Saturday, but efforts are still underway to vaccinate high risk groups, which include children from six months to five years old, pregnant women, those under the age of 65 with chronic medical conditions like heart, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes or obese, health care workers and household members and care providers of persons at high risk who can't be immunized or may not respond to the vaccine.
So far 19,500 vaccines have been distributed or administered in the district.
Pat Stephens, a spokeswoman for the North Bay and District Hospital, there's been no reaction from those who have received the H1N1 vaccine reported to the hospital.
