Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability
More inoculations mean safer public: MDs
Virus 'circulating everywhere'
By KEVIN DOUGHERTY, Montreal GazetteNovember 27, 2009
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Bernard Saulnier (left) and Gervais Bouchard read to pass the time in line at the H1N1 vacination clinic at the Palais des Congres on Wednesda as the Quebec government made shots available to the general public ahead of schedule.
Photograph by: John Mahoney, The Gazette
MONTREAL - It's "halftime" in the H1N1 pandemic, provincial health authorities said yesterday, and with about 30 per cent of Quebecers vaccinated against the virus, the more people who get inoculated in the coming days and weeks, the better the general public will be protected.
Quebec had 26 deaths in the first wave of H1N1 swine flu, which hit in the spring, and so far in the second wave 57 deaths related to H1N1 have been confirmed here.
About 800 patients, including 49 pregnant women, have required intensive care.
The seasonal flu is more dangerous for seniors, noted Dr. Horacio Arruda of Quebec's public health service. The H1N1 virus is different.
"The virus is attacking very young people," Arruda said, noting there have been five times as many cases of swine flu as in the first wave.
But so far, 71 per cent of Quebecers under age 5 have been vaccinated, he added.
Also vulnerable are pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, like asthma.
Arruda said the virus is spread person-to-person and one person carrying H1N1 to a family get-together during the holiday season can spread it to others.
"The virus is circulating," he said. "It is circulating everywhere."
A third wave of the swine flu is expected in January and February, and authorities are urging all Quebecers to get vaccinated, now that more doses are available and everyone who wants one can be vaccinated.
Yesterday, an estimated 130,000 Quebecers were vaccinated.
Public health authorities expected H1N1 to displace of the seasonal flu, and this has been largely true, Arruda said, explaining that 90 per cent of influenza cases reported in Quebec have been H1N1.
But public health authorities in this province are consulting with their counterparts across Canada and in other countries about a possible second round of vaccinations for the seasonal flu.
Yolaine Galarneau, a specialist in front line care at the provincial Health Department, said that after the third wave, the virus will still be around, so people should be vaccinated.
"Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and those close to you," Health Minister Yves Bolduc said, adding that everyone could be vaccinated by Christmas.
For updated schedules in Montreal and elsewhere, consult these Quebec government sites:
- http://vaccination.msss.gouv.qc.ca
- pandemiequebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.aspx@sujet=143.html
The Gazette's clickable Google map of vaccination sites:
http://tinyurl.com/yjrjsly
For information by phone: 514-644-4545 or 1-877-644-4545
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/More+inoculations+mean+safer+public/2274104/story.html
More inoculations mean safer public: MDs
Virus 'circulating everywhere'
By KEVIN DOUGHERTY, Montreal GazetteNovember 27, 2009
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> function resizeImage() { var imgBox = document.getElementById('imageBox'); var photo = document.getElementById('storyphoto'); if (imgBox != null && photo != null) { if(photo.width >= 460) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize460'; } else { if(photo.width >= 300) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize310'; } else { imgBox.className = 'imageboxpadding'; } imgBox.style.width = photo.width + 'px'; } } } function getStoryFontSize() { var storyfontsize = getCookie('storyfontsize'); var storyfontimage = getCookie('storyfontimage'); // use cookied value, if present if (storyfontsize != null) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); if (storyfontimage != null) { setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); } } else // default it to para14 if no cookie { setClass('story_content','para14'); setClass('fontsizecontainer','size02'); } } function setStoryFontSize(storyfontsize,storyfontimage) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); setCookie('storyfontsize', storyfontsize, '365', '/', '', ''); setCookie('storyfontimage', storyfontimage, '365', '/', '', ''); } function setCookie( name, value, expires, path, domain, secure ) { // set time var today = new Date(); today.setTime( today.getTime() ); if ( expires ) { expires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; //days } var expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) ); document.cookie = name + "=" + escape( value ) + ( ( expires ) ? ";expires=" + expires_date.toGMTString() : "" ) + ( ( path ) ? ";path=" + path : "" ) + ( ( domain ) ? ";domain=" + domain : "" ) + ( ( secure ) ? ";secure" : "" ); } function getCookie( check_name ) { // split this cookie up into name/value pairs var a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' ); var a_temp_cookie = ''; var cookie_name = ''; var cookie_value = ''; var b_cookie_found = false; // set boolean t/f default f for ( i = 0; i < a_all_cookies.length; i++ ) { // split apart each name=value pair a_temp_cookie = a_all_cookies.split( '=' ); // and trim left/right whitespace while we're at it cookie_name = a_temp_cookie[0].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, ''); // if the extracted name matches passed check_name if ( cookie_name == check_name ) { b_cookie_found = true; // we need to handle case where cookie has no value but exists (no = sign, that is): if ( a_temp_cookie.length > 1 ) { cookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '') ); } // note that in cases where cookie is initialized but no value, null is returned return cookie_value; break; } a_temp_cookie = null; cookie_name = ''; } if ( !b_cookie_found ) { return null; } } </SCRIPT>
Bernard Saulnier (left) and Gervais Bouchard read to pass the time in line at the H1N1 vacination clinic at the Palais des Congres on Wednesda as the Quebec government made shots available to the general public ahead of schedule.
Photograph by: John Mahoney, The Gazette
MONTREAL - It's "halftime" in the H1N1 pandemic, provincial health authorities said yesterday, and with about 30 per cent of Quebecers vaccinated against the virus, the more people who get inoculated in the coming days and weeks, the better the general public will be protected.
Quebec had 26 deaths in the first wave of H1N1 swine flu, which hit in the spring, and so far in the second wave 57 deaths related to H1N1 have been confirmed here.
About 800 patients, including 49 pregnant women, have required intensive care.
The seasonal flu is more dangerous for seniors, noted Dr. Horacio Arruda of Quebec's public health service. The H1N1 virus is different.
"The virus is attacking very young people," Arruda said, noting there have been five times as many cases of swine flu as in the first wave.
But so far, 71 per cent of Quebecers under age 5 have been vaccinated, he added.
Also vulnerable are pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, like asthma.
Arruda said the virus is spread person-to-person and one person carrying H1N1 to a family get-together during the holiday season can spread it to others.
"The virus is circulating," he said. "It is circulating everywhere."
A third wave of the swine flu is expected in January and February, and authorities are urging all Quebecers to get vaccinated, now that more doses are available and everyone who wants one can be vaccinated.
Yesterday, an estimated 130,000 Quebecers were vaccinated.
Public health authorities expected H1N1 to displace of the seasonal flu, and this has been largely true, Arruda said, explaining that 90 per cent of influenza cases reported in Quebec have been H1N1.
But public health authorities in this province are consulting with their counterparts across Canada and in other countries about a possible second round of vaccinations for the seasonal flu.
Yolaine Galarneau, a specialist in front line care at the provincial Health Department, said that after the third wave, the virus will still be around, so people should be vaccinated.
"Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and those close to you," Health Minister Yves Bolduc said, adding that everyone could be vaccinated by Christmas.
For updated schedules in Montreal and elsewhere, consult these Quebec government sites:
- http://vaccination.msss.gouv.qc.ca
- pandemiequebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.aspx@sujet=143.html
The Gazette's clickable Google map of vaccination sites:
http://tinyurl.com/yjrjsly
For information by phone: 514-644-4545 or 1-877-644-4545
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/More+inoculations+mean+safer+public/2274104/story.html
