And the frenzy begins.....

People are dying and yet Northern Health is taking their sweet time getting the vaccine out there. I don't quite understand that; seems that no one else across the country is waiting another week.

Has anyone ever asked the question , how many people succumb to an ordinary flue virus each year for which the pharmaceutical corporations have blown it by developing the wrong vaccine on many occasions. This time they have it right. They have an entire continent in a state of panic. They developed the flue vinous first and now will be able to match the vaccine to the virus. And they walk away with $400 million in tax dollars.

Some business plan eh?

Cheers

Why is it that Newfoundland and New Brunswick and even parts of Quebec were able to start shots last week? Why is most of Canada starting this week yet in parts of BC you can't even buy a H1N1 vaccine this week? It has been well documented that BC has way more H1N1 cases than the rest of Canada yet no one in Northern Health could get flu clinics organized in time to administer shots this week. It can't be that we're so remote as places like the Gulf Islands (Saturna & Pender) and Powell River have H1N1 clinics this week. They are all throughout the Lower Mainland. If Northern Health couldn't supply the vaccine this week why didn't they pass out the supply to pharmacies and doctors (none have received a supply yet according to all the calls I've made) so that they could start administering the vaccine to those at greatest risk?

What difference does it make if you get the vaccine last week, this week, or next week. It would only make a difference if someone actually got the flu because the vaccine was not available, and I havent heard where that has happened. What about all the Canadians 50% or more who are not going to get a shot at all. You can thank them, because if they all got the shot you would have to wait a lot longer for yours. If you want the shot, wait your turn and relax.

Two weeks or three weeks from now this will be old news and we will be on to something else.

A new flu should be on the horizen by next April and we can start all over again.

No big deal. It's already here, I've had it, I lived. More people die annually from medication mix ups then will ever die from this flu.
I cannot wait until the media frenzy is over. This is a classic example of sensationalism.

"What difference does it make if you get the vaccine last week, this week, or next week"

Because the sooner you get the vaccination, the sooner you would develop an immunity to a potential exposure. Given that there is a 10 day post immunization period before your body develops the immunity, if you are in one of the high risk groups, wouldn't you think that getting it ASAP would be beneficial?

To add to that, if there are reasons why you aren't getting it even though you "could" have (problems in scheduling, delivery issues, poor management of the rollout, etc.), wouldn't that be something that should be addressed?

"H1N1 kills 13-year-old Toronto boy".......I'm sure his family wishes that the vaccine had been available to their child 2 weeks ago. My friend's daughter is 7 months pregnant, and my kid is high risk and we are very concerned about the delay.

Quote fron boy's father:
"Whenever you hear stories like this in the press, I say to myself, 'Oh my god, I can never imagine how I could ever live without one of my kids,' and now I'm asking myself that question."

http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news/capfeed/national/n102745A.xml&CatID=National

"Why is it that Newfoundland and New Brunswick and even parts of Quebec were able to start shots last week?"

Because you do not hear about the details.
Quebec ... Gaspé

http://vaccination.msss.gouv.qc.ca/centres_vaccination.php?no_etab=11044369®ion=11&csss=CSSS de la Côte-de-Gaspé

ÉCOLE NOTRE-DAME DE LIESSE (ST-GEORGES)Clientèle enfants de 6 mois à 4 ans et leurs parents: 3 novembre 2009

HÔPITAL HÔTEL-DIEU Gaspé Clientèle travailleurs de la santé le 27-29-31 octobre 2009

http://vaccination.msss.gouv.qc.ca/centres_vaccination_regions.php?region=17&nom_region=Nunavik

Aucun centre de vaccination n’est actuellement ouvert dans votre secteur.

No centres open in the far north ...... remote areas are one of the high priority areas ....

If you want to bitch, bitch equally for all of Canada.

Here is the availability for northern NB

http://www.gnb.ca/0053/h1n1/pdf/H1N1Clinics/bathurst-e.pdf

Started Oct 26, that is this week....

[url]http://www.gnb.ca/0053/h1n1/clinic_h1n1-e.asp#B[url]

I can't find any area in NB that started last week. Remember, these people are all communications managers. They tend to make up stories every now and then......

http://www.gnb.ca/0053/h1n1/clinic_h1n1-e.asp#B

pandemic ... an epidemic during which people panic .....

If you wish to complain, consider that Australia started its program in September, not the end of October

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-09/18/content_8709249.htm

Some people may not like the possible outcome of getting the vaccine. It is a numbers game.

http://www.disabled-world.com/health/influenza/swine-flu/h1n1-guillain-barre.php

And here is one more opinion on risk.....

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html

"Preliminary research suggests the seasonal flu shot may put people at greater risk for getting swine flu, CBC News has learned."

Here is the situation in the USA ... Oct 27

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33494844/ns/health-cold_and_flu

"The United States has contracted with its five suppliers of seasonal influenza vaccine to also deliver H1N1 vaccine, but has sharply cut initial estimates of how much will be delivered this month and next. HHS says companies are having more trouble than anticipated making the vaccine, which is grown in chicken eggs using 50-year-old technology."