Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Quebec health minister criticizes queue-jumping for H1N1 vaccines

November 07, 2009 2:20 p.m.

MONTREAL - Quebec's health minister has criticized preferential access to H1N1 vaccines that have been brought to light across the province.

Yves Bolduc told a news conference Saturday he disapproved of a Montreal hospital's decision to vaccinate its top donors. Bolduc said no special privileges should be given for vaccinations in the province.

Media reports say a few weeks ago, Montreal's Jewish General Hospital inoculated 200 donors who weren't on priority lists.

According to hospital officials, the donors spend a lot of time in the medical centre and come in contact with patients.

Earlier this week, vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline was criticized for immunizing its employees and their families ahead of many priority groups.

In Ontario, board members at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital got the H1N1 shot last week and the University Health Network is offering the vaccine to its board and executives, along with nurses, doctors, volunteers and other hospital workers.

Meanwhile, Quebec will open 26 new flu clinics across the province Monday in an attempt to reduce pressure on packed emergency rooms in the province.

Seven people in Quebec have died since the second wave of the H1N1 flu hit the province and 579 have been hospitalized.

So far, over 800,000 Quebecers have received swine flu immunizations.


http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/liv...er-criticizes-queue-jumping-for-h1n1-vaccines

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

H1N1 shot schedule moved up by 15 days

People under 65 with chronic conditions can get vaccinated right away

By Jan Ravensbergen, The GazetteNovember 8, 2009 6:02 PM

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More Images ?


File photo: Nurse Nathalie Cousineau vaccinates Michel Lemay against the H1N1 virus at the CLSC Dorval-Lachine in Lachine.

Photograph by: John Mahoney, The Gazette


MONTREAL ? All Montreal Island residents under age 65 with a chronic medical condition can begin going to H1N1 vaccination clinics to obtain their flu shot immediately.
In many instances, that is 15 days sooner than was originally to have been permitted.

Dr. Robert Lessard of Montreal public health services issued the announcement Sunday afternoon.

Turnout at inoculation clinics thus far this weekend has been lower than anticipated, Lessard said during a media briefing.

As a result, he added, ?there is now some space available in our clinics to proceed a little more quickly than we had forecast, for some of the at-risk groups.?

?We have for Montreal (Island) about 150,000 vaccine doses currently available,? he stated:

?We want to distribute them as quickly as possible.?

The change represents a significant acceleration in vaccine deployment.

Until Sunday?s announcement, those aged five through 18 with a chronic illness were to have become eligible for vaccination only Nov. 16.

That?s now been moved up eight days.

Adults with a chronic illness aged 18 through 65 were to have become eligible for their H1N1 inoculation Nov. 23.

Those aged 18 through 64 with chronic conditions ? including heart troubles, asthma, diabetes and cancer ? are now being moved up 15 days.

Lessard used the expression ?under 65,? and health-department officials could not immediately be reached for an answer on what people aged exactly 65 should anticipate.

Adults with immune deficiencies became eligible for their H1N1 shot last Thursday, Nov. 5.

An accelerated vaccination schedule is also possible for others who don?t yet qualify, Lessard said, with decisions on that aspect pending:

?We?re having a meeting about this? Monday morning, Lessard added.


http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/H1N1+shot+schedule+moved/2199731/story.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

<CITE>By CBC News, cbc.ca, </CITE>Updated: November 9, 2009 8:54 AM
Chronically ill adults can now get flu shot

In Montreal, adults under 65 with chronic illnesses can be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus starting Monday.

On the weekend, Montreal's public health department announced it was moving up vaccination schedules for people with chronic illnesses, who had been expecting to wait until mid-November.

Weekend vaccination clinics were less busy than expected, which was a major factor for moving up the inoculation schedule, said Dr. Richard Lessard, Montreal's public health director.

"I would like to see the vaccination centres full all the time, but that's not what's happening, and that's why we are opening the clinic to people under 65, who have a chronic disease," he said on Sunday.

Montreal has 14 makeshift vaccination clinics doling out the H1N1 shot.

The clinics can provide a total of 20,000 vaccinations per day.

The less than full capacity on the weekend could have been caused by Montreal's unseasonably warm weather, Lessard speculated.

Seven people in Quebec have died since the second wave of the H1N1 flu hit the province and 579 have been hospitalized.

So far, over 800,000 Quebecers have received swine flu immunizations.
H1N1 flu treatment clinics open

About a dozen clinics geared towards flu-infected patients are opening their doors on Monday.

Public health officials says the flu clinics will help alleviate pressure on local hospital emergency rooms, that have been overrun with people suffering from swine flu.

Patients who show up at the flu clinics will be checked by a nurse or doctor, said Yolaine Galarneau, a physician who runs the Montreal public health department's front-line services.

"We have to decide if those persons should receive anti-viral medication, and if they have any complications or infections that will need antibiotics," she told CBC. "Those people are seen by a nurse, and if needed, are seen after by a doctor."

Quebec's flu pandemic website has a full list of the flu clinics.
Health minister rebukes hospitals

Quebec health minister Yves Bolduc said he disapproves of a Montreal hospital's decisions to vaccinate its top donors against the swine flu.

No special privileges should be given for vaccinations in Quebec, Bolduc told a news conference on Saturday.

Media reports said Montreal's Jewish General Hospital inoculated 200 donors who weren't on the province's priority list.

According to hospital officials, the donors spend a lot of time in the medical centre and come in contact with patients.

In Ontario, board members at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital got the H1N1 shot last week and the University Health Network is offering the vaccine to its board and executives, along with nurses, doctors, volunteers and other hospital workers.

With files from the Canadian Press

External Links
Quebec's flu pandemic website





http://news.ca.msn.com/local/montreal/article.aspx?cp-documentid=22545868

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

<CITE>By CBC News, cbc.ca, </CITE>Updated: November 12, 2009 3:27 PM

Gatineau cops, firefighters not a priority for H1N1 shot

Guy Morisette, centre, head of the Outaouais health agency, said Gatineau firefighters and police aren't considered first responders so they won't be given priority access to the swine flu vaccine.


Unions representing Gatineau police and firefighters are upset their workers aren't being given priority access to the swine flu vaccine unlike their counterparts across the river in Ottawa.

The Outaouais health agency had promised about 500 doses of the vaccine to inoculate police and firefighters two weeks ago, but the agency cancelled the vaccination session, said St?phane No?l, head of the Gatineau Firefighters' Association.

At a press conference on Thursday, Guy Morisette, the head of the Outaouais health agency explained the decision.

"There's a definition for first responders in Quebec, and it doesn't apply to firemen and policemen in the city of Gatineau," Morisette said. "We have to differentiate between first responders and first people at the scene."

The Outaouais health agency said the "first responder" designation is given to firefighters and police depending on the emergency resources where they work. In a small town with no ambulances, police officers and firefighters can be designated first responders. However, in larger cities ? like Gatineau ? where there are ambulances, they are not.

Firefighters do medical interventions, too .

But No?l said Gatineau firefighters should be considered first responders and that getting vaccinated is a health and safety issue for workers.

"On the Quebec side, there's not a lot of ambulances, so we are dispatched right away, and we do quite a lot of medical [work]," he said.

He added that firefighters, police officers and even dispatchers in small towns near Gatineau like Cantley and Chelsea have already received their H1N1 vaccinations. The vaccine targets the strain of H1N1 influenza A responsible for the current swine flu pandemic.

Morisette said the Outaouais health agency is trying to determine when it will start vaccinating Gatineau police and firefighters.

He said the health agency has received 11,000 more doses of the vaccine, which will allow them to keep Gatineau's vaccination clinics open beyond Sunday, when they were originally scheduled to close.

On Tuesday, Ontario announced it was expanding its H1N1 immunization program to include first responders like firefighters and police officers.

Nevertheless, flu vaccination clinics in Ottawa will temporarily close after Thursday, because of a shortage of vaccine.

http://news.ca.msn.com/local/ottawa/article.aspx?cp-documentid=22585213

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Vaccination plans for school kids

Updated: Thu Nov. 12 2009 6:17:48 PM
ctvmontreal.ca

School commissions across the province now have a massive task ahead of them - vaccinating school-aged children against H1N1.

Health Minister Yves Bolduc announced Thursday the province would arrange for children to be brought to vaccination centres, but that could be a logistical nightmare, said some school officials.

"You would have to ensure that the supervisors are there, and know which children are going to be vaccinated, because from what I understand not all parents want their child to be vaccinated," said Sylvia LoBianco, vice-chairman of the English Montreal School Board.

A total of 38,000 students attend EMSB schools. School buses hold 48 students, and typically serve two schools.

Donna Manos, principal of Honore Mercier Elementary School in St. Leonard, said transporting the school's 561 students is a daunting task, particularly for students with health issues.

"We do have children who are diabetic who do have to have snacks at certain times; we have children who might not be feeling well or might be feeling anxious," said Manos.

School officials said they would prefer the vaccinations take place in the schools, but public health officials say that is not going to happen.

"We can bring the school to those sites, for efficiency making sure they get good quality control of the vaccine because it must be protected against problems of temperature - so in fact I think it's a model," said Dr. Horacio Arruda, the director of Quebec Public Health Protection.

Parents are being asked to wait to hear from their own school about individual transportation plans. School officials are still waiting on a mandate from the government.

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091112/mtl_vacc_091112/20091112?hub=MontrealHome

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Canadian H1N1 vaccine without adjuvant approved

Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 11:31 AM ET

CBC News


Health Canada has approved the use of adjuvant-free swine flu vaccine made in Canada for pregnant women, federal health officials announced Friday.

The new vaccine has already been sent to provinces and territories which may start using it immediately, said Dr. Elwyn Griffiths, director general of the biologics and genetic therapies directorate at Health Canada, which authorizes use of vaccines.

In British Columbia, which had the advjuvant-free vaccine shipped ahead of approval, people should be able to get the vaccine starting late this weekend or early next week, said Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial health officer.

Up to 1.8 million doses of the advjuant-free vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline will be available to Canadians, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.

By next week, there should be enough of both adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccine to immunize one-third of Canadians, Butler-Jones said.

The federal government also purchased and distributed adjuvant-free doses from Australia, which Canadian pregnant women started receiving this week.

Adjuvant is an additive that boost the immune system's response to the vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine targets the strain of H1N1 influenza A virus causing the current swine flu pandemic.

Another 8.5 million doses of adjuvanted vaccine have also been distributed.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/11/13/h1n1-vaccine.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Montreal children can get flu vaccine now

Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 12:08 PM ET

CBC News


Montreal public health authorities are moving children and young adults up the H1N1 vaccination schedule because of the number of young people being hospitalized with swine flu infections.

Montrealers between the ages of 5 and 19 are eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine now, three weeks earlier than what the original inoculation calendar set out.

Richard Lessard, a physician and director of the Montreal public health agency, said he has received reports of a spike in the number of young people admitted to hospital.

"We would like to see them [immunized] as soon as possible," he said at a news conference Friday. "We have lots of availability and we have the vaccines as well to do the immunization, so we welcome those groups" starting Friday morning, he said.

Families of people with suppressed immunity and of children under five years old can also get the vaccine now, Lessard said.

The H1N1 flu hasn't spread across the province as quickly as authorities feared because of the widespread vaccination program, officials with Quebec's Health Ministry said.

Quebec is well into the flu virus's second pandemic wave, but the extent of the outbreak can't be assessed until it reaches a plateau, said Dr. Alain Poirier, the province's top public health officer.

The province is in Week 5 or 6 of the second wave, which is expected to last as long as 12 weeks, Poirier told reporters at a news conference in Quebec City.

Hospitals are reporting that the proportion of beds being used by patients with respiratory problems and other swine flu symptoms has increased by about five per cent since the flu's second wave began. That rate is about twice as high as it is during the off-flu season, but is still less than the critical 10 per cent mark that would worry hospital administrators, Poirier said.

The vaccine is causing side effects for a large number of people, he added. Between 15 and 20 people who received the vaccine reported having a severe reaction to the shot, which represents about 1.5 people per 100,000, Poirier said.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/13/quebec-montreal-swine-flu-vaccination.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

H1N1 vaccine running short in Quebec City

Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 6:42 PM ET

CBC News

Officials in Quebec City say a shortage of vaccine will force them to shut down vaccination clinics for two days. (CBC)

A shortage of H1N1 flu vaccines will force officials in Quebec City to shut down the region?s four vaccination centers, the president of the health agency serving the provincial capital region said on Friday.

The centres will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, as officials only have 20,000 doses of the vaccine remaining in their stock, Michel Fontaine said.

He encouraged those who are eligible to try to get their vaccination this weekend.

"We will accelerate our rhythm and give the most vaccinations possible over the weekend, but we won?t have any more as of Sunday night," Fontaine said.

Officials said they expect to have more doses of the vaccine later in the week and hope to start busing school children to vaccination centres on Wednesday or Friday.

Montreal begins vaccination of children aged 5-19

Also on Friday, Montreal public health authorities said they are moving children and young adults up the H1N1 vaccination schedule because of the number of young people entering hospital with swine flu infections.

Montrealers between the ages of 5 and 19 are eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine now, three weeks earlier than what the original inoculation calendar set out.

Richard Lessard, a physician and director of the Montreal public health agency, said he has received reports of a spike in the number of young people admitted to hospital.

"We would like to see them [immunized] as soon as possible," he said at a news conference. "We have lots of availability, and we have the vaccines as well to do the immunization, so we welcome those groups" starting Friday morning, he said.

Families of people with suppressed immunity and of children under five years old can also get the vaccine now, Lessard said.

The Montreal Health Agency is reporting that between 15,000 and 20,000 people in the region are showing up to be vaccinated each day ? far fewer than the number of doses available.

Flu spreading slowly

The H1N1 flu hasn't spread across the province as quickly as authorities feared because of the widespread vaccination program, officials with Quebec's Health Ministry said.

Quebec is well into the flu virus's second pandemic wave, but the extent of the outbreak can't be assessed until it reaches a plateau, said Dr. Alain
Poirier, the province's top public health officer.

The province is in Week 5 or 6 of the second wave, which is expected to last as long as 12 weeks, Poirier told reporters at a news conference in Quebec City.

Health Minister Yves Bolduc says children between the ages of five and 19 years old are the next priority vaccination group. (CBC)

Hospitals are reporting that the proportion of beds being used by patients with respiratory problems and other swine flu symptoms has increased by about five per cent since the flu's second wave began. That rate is about twice as high as it is during the off-flu season, but is still less than the critical 10 per cent mark that would worry hospital administrators, Poirier said.

The vaccine is causing side effects for a large number of people, he added. Between 15 and 20 people who received the vaccine reported having a severe reaction to the shot, which represents about 1.5 people per 100,000, Poirier said.

Minister defends plan

Meanwhile, Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc defended the government?s vaccination schedule Friday, reiterating that vaccinating children between the ages of five and 19 years old is the priority.

Some seniors groups have been critical of the fact that seniors will be among the last groups eligible for vaccination.

But, Bolduc said the government?s decision is based on epidemiological evidence showing who is most at risk of contracting the swine flu.

Most regions have begun vaccinating children between the ages of five and 19; people with suppressed immune systems and their family members; as well as children between six months and five years of age and their parents.

Bolduc also defended the government?s decision to have school children bused to vaccination centers rather than vaccinating them in their own schools.

He said the government?s meningitis vaccination campaign took six months to vaccinate 1.7-million students ? time the government simply does not have to fight the H1N1 virus.

Despite the fact the virus does not seem to be spreading as fast as expected in Quebec, Bolduc reiterated the importance of being vaccinated.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/13/quebec-montreal-swine-flu-vaccination.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Heavy demand at Montreal H1N1 flu shot clinics

Last Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009 | 7:47 AM ET

CBC News

H1N1 vaccination clinics in the Montreal areas were busy this weekend as parents of school-age children lined up to get their children the flu shot.

Public health officials said all clinics across the island were busy, while clinics in Rivi?re-des-Prairies and the West Island reached their limit early in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday.

Dr. Richard Lessard of Montreal Public Health said officials are still finalizing their plans to bus school children to vaccination centres to get their shots.

But he said parents shouldn't hesitate to bring their children themselves.

"Most parents we talked to are kind of reluctant to let their small ones go to the vaccination centre by bus, they would rather be with their kids," said Lessard.

"So I think they will have the opportunity this week after school to come to our vaccination centre and have their kids immunized."

Lessard said Montreal is expecting another shipment of H1N1 vaccine in the coming days. That shipment, he said, should be enough to supply the city's vaccination clinics for the rest of the week.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/16/montreal-h1n1-vaccination-clinics.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Mega-vaccine clinic now open in Montreal

Palais des Congr?s clinic provides 300 immunizations per hour to keep up with demand

Last Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009 | 1:07 PM ET

CBC News

Public health authorities in Quebec opened new vaccination centres Monday, including a mega-clinic at the Palais des Congr?s in Montreal, to keep up with demand for inoculation.

The Palais des Congr?s clinic has the ability to vaccinate up to 300 people per hour, said Montreal's Public Health Agency.

Simone Decosta showed up at 7 a.m. Monday morning at the Palais des Congr?s with her two children, looking to be vaccinated. She says she was surprised but pleased to find a very short lineup.

"I was a bit afraid that it would be crowded because it was a new place and downtown but it seems to be all right," she told CBC News. "I'm very glad."

Anyone is welcome at the downtown clinic, which offers free parking, public health officials said.

The Palais des Congr?s clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Dec. 18.

Doors open and coupons start being distributed at 5:30 a.m.

The second clinic opened at the ?douard-Rivest Recreation Centre in Montreal East.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/16/montreal-h1n1-vaccination-clinics.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Updated: Mon Nov. 16 2009 6:52:08 PM
ctvmontreal.ca

Laval begins vaccinating students

In Laval, busloads of high school students were transported to vaccination centres on Monday.

The goal is to bus some 13,000 students to the city's two vaccination centres before the end of the week, then start all over again with elementary level students by next week.

Over the next three weeks, 3400 schools across the province are expected to bus their students to clinics.

Jacques Morneau, vice principal of the ?cole d'?ducation internationale de Laval, feels that's the best option.

"I've seen the way the center is run and honestly, it's way, way easier to bring the students here than to bring the vaccination in our school," said Morneau.

Provincial update

Public health officials say nearly 1.5 million Quebecers have been vaccinated so far.

Quebec received 450,000 doses of vaccine this week, and Health Minister Yves Bolduc
says he's confident that all Quebecers can be vaccinated by Christmas.

On the down side, the province is on the verge of major increase in transmission of the virus -- a predictable pandemic occurrence.

"There is a kind of flare up of the infection and the population in a larger number become infected by the virus and this lasts another three to four weeks," said Dr. Michel Bureau, the province's director general of health services.

The health ministry says people who have flu symptoms should not go to their family doctor or to their local clinic, but rather to one of 45 special flu clinics across the province.


http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091116/mtl_swine_flu091116/20091116/

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Quebec+running+vaccine/2231125/story.html

Quebec running low on vaccine?
Health chief, Minister differ; Flu outbreak might be over before most people get inoculated, critics say
By CHARLIE FIDELMAN, The GazetteNovember 17, 2009 4:11 AM
Quebec may not have enough vaccine for everyone until after Christmas or even New Year's, long after the second wave of swine flu has peaked, health officials confirmed yesterday.

But Dr. Alain Poirier, Quebec's public health director, said many people will have already been vaccinated, lowering the risk of infection in the community.

Poirier's comments also contradict Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc, who proclaimed that the vaccine campaign would finish by the end of December.

Quebec is about two weeks behind in H1N1 infection rates compared to British Columbia, where rates are now going down. The virus moving east is expected hit its maximum infection rate by late November in Quebec.

Critics say the H1N1 outbreak might be over before most people get their shot.

But at a press briefing held yesterday in Quebec City, Poirier said that late vaccination in January, is still worthwhile because of the way pandemics unfold.

According to federal pandemic plan estimates, a flu outbreak could cause an estimate of 15 to 35 per cent of the population to fall clinically sick.

A peak is simply the centre point and there will be just as many people getting sick after the highest infection rate as before, Poirier explained.

"And as we've seen in most pandemics, there is often a third wave, so the vaccine will be useful at some point in time," he said.

Delays are due to the manufacturer not reaching "cruising speed" in vaccine production and it's not clear when they will get up to speed, Poirier said of H1N1 vaccine made in Canada by GlaxoSmithKline.

Whether the final doses arrive in December or January depends on the manufacturer's capacity, Poirier said.

But as the vaccine schedule started several weeks ahead of the initial Nov. 15 date, the campaign is moving along smoothly, he added.

More than 1.45 million people have been vaccinated, and the province is to get 450,000 more doses this week.

Critics continue to underline that seniors with chronic illnesses should have been a vaccine priority group.

next in line - after the 5 -to-19-age group - they'll be getting the shot just as the virus sets to strike the hardest. But it takes two weeks for vaccine immunity to kick in.

While seniors have some immunity to H1N1, they are more prone to complication and death if infected. The average age of those dying from swine flu is 62.3 years old.

Given vaccine shortages, the Health Department based its inoculation schedule on world epidemiology data of those most at risk.

Also, the department is not yet ready to issue recommendations on whether children under 9 will need a booster shot. Officials are awaiting results of Spanish study of 200 children, expected next week.

But in a small sample of children, a half dose with adjuvant was enough to provide protection, said Dr. Fran?ois Boucher, a pediatrician and member of the provincial immunization committee.

cfidelman@thegazette.canwest.com

H1N1

Get the latest updates about the pandemic, the government's response and the resources at your disposal at montrealgazette.com/health/swine-flu

Today's Montreal Island vaccination schedule

- All pregnant women

(vaccine without adjuvant available)

- Anyone under 65 with a chronic illness, defined as: heart ailments; lung illnesses such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Also: diabetes, liver diseases like cirrhosis, and kidney and blood disorders.

- Children 6 months to 5 years and their families

- Families of immunosuppressed people

- Children 5 to 19

- Parents and siblings of infants younger than 6 months

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

? Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Student swine flu vaccinations finalized in Montreal

Updated: Wed Nov. 18 2009 11:40:34 AM
ctvmontreal.ca

Elementary and high-school students across the island of Montreal will be bused to designated swine-flu vaccination centres beginning next week, public-health officials said Wednesday.

Students aged five to 19 years of age will be able to roll up their sleeves. They'll require consent forms from their parents if they want to be bused to the sites. Students aged 14 to 19 won't need consent forms if they show up on their own.

The English boards will begin sending out consent forms on Thursday.

Five Montreal school boards finalized their plans Wednesday morning in conjunction with the Montreal health agency. The decision follows similar student-vaccination measures already underway on the south shore.

David Levine, head of the Montreal health agency, told a news conference that school-aged children will be given priority at vaccination centres.

"As soon as parents arrive at our vaccination centre with a child of school age, they'll be given a coupon and told to go into that line over there," he said.

"The idea there is to really move that group of population through as quick as possible.

Students at schools for the intellectually challenged or disabled will not be bused. Health officials will come to their schools to administer vaccines directly.

There are 59 such schools on the island of Montreal, seving 4,900 children.

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/l...ne_flu_update091118/20091118?hub=MontrealHome

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

H1N1 blitz to vaccinate Montreal students

Health authorities plan to inoculate up to 170,000 in next month

Montreal Gazette: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Nurse Annetta Dyeth administers H1N1 flu vaccine to Mathis Guibord at Cavendish Mall in Montreal on Nov. 5, 2009.

MONTREAL — Montreal public-health authorities Wednesday are launching an H1N1 blitz aimed at vaccinating up to 170,000 elementary and high school students in the next four weeks.

The first part of the campaign has already kicked in, with teams of nurses visiting Montreal Island’s 59 special-needs schools to immunize up to 5,000 children.

Authorities also announced an express line at vaccination centres for children and their parents as of Thursday.

And on Monday, elementary and high school students across the island will start being bused to vaccination clinics.

http://www.globalmontreal.com/world/H1N1+blitz+vaccinate+Montreal+students/2237548/story.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Quebec seniors can get H1N1 vaccine

Move follows Ontario's decision to open doors to everyone

By Jan Ravensbergen, The Gazette
November 19, 2009 7:02 PM



People over age 65 will be able to join the lineups for the H1N1 swine flu vaccine earlier than anticipated.
Photograph by: Marcos Townsend, Gazette file photo

MONTREAL ? All Montreal Island residents age 65 or more can come immediately to a vaccination clinic to get their inoculation against H1N1 flu, public health authorities announced late Thursday ? after Ontario had thrown open the doors to its vaccination clinics to every single one of that province?s residents, effective immediately.

Alberta said it expects to follow Ontario?s footsteps early next week.
Quebec is taking a much different approach.

Because the province has been promised 1.1 million new vaccine doses, all those 65 and over will qualify for inoculation before the end of November, Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc had announced during the afternoon.

He cited more ample cross-Canada vaccine deliveries than earlier anticipated.

Asked about the Ontario move, Bolduc responded that Quebec was working with its own priorities.

The latest allocation of doses for Quebec is 2.5 times more than his health officials had been expecting, Bolduc said.

That was reflected in the local announcement:

For Montreal Island, ?the decision to accelerate the vaccinations for this group follows confirmation of a delivery, next week, of a significant quantity of doses,? the Agence de la sant? et des services sociaux de Montr?al stated.

The local vaccination centres are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Bolduc had stated that go-ahead dates for the accelerated senior vaccinations will vary by region, and that ?generally, we expect it will be an average of seven days? for the new vaccine supplies to arrive at clinics.

Quebec?s approach marks a sharp contrast with the open-door Ontario approach:

?We are now able to offer the vaccine to anyone of any age, and of any health status, who wants it,? Dr. Arlene King, that province?s chief medical officer, declared Wednesday in Toronto.

Until Thursday?s announcement, Quebec seniors with a chronic disease ? including diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, and cancer ? had been under instructions to wait until Nov. 30 for their shot.

Healthy Quebec seniors without any chronic medical conditions would have had to cool their heels a further week, until Dec. 7, when all healthy
Quebec adults age 20 and more will qualify.

Among other issues affecting the timetable of vaccine rollout for the 65-and-more group, Bolduc said, quality-control tests will have to be performed as the doses are delivered, and these will then have to be physically distributed among vaccination clinics operating across the province.

Vaccinations will also be given to healthy as well as disabled seniors at golden-age homes in Quebec, he said.

At the clinics, meanwhile, the coupon system is being changed.

Those who qualify for the shot and show up when a clinic is already fully booked for the day will be given a coupon and a time to show up the next day, or the day following.

About 1.6 million Quebecers have already received the vaccine, close to one-quarter of the population.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Quebec+seniors+H1N1+vaccines+sooner/2242561/story.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Cavendish Mall runs out of flu vaccine

Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | 10:19 AM ET

CBC News

Some seniors in Montreal expressed frustration Thursday with how public health officials have handled H1N1 vaccinations at a local clinic.

Several seniors showed up at an inoculation clinic at the Cavendish Mall on Thursday night only to be turned away when health workers ran out of the vaccine an hour before the centre was scheduled to close.

Lou Koltz, 85, was one of the last people in the line to get vaccinated Thursday evening.

After waiting for weeks to get the shot, Koltz said he found that the experience at the mall clinic was aggravating and "the stupidest thing I've ever seen."

Gerry Gordons said he waited in line but the vaccine ran out before it was his turn.

The 69-year-old vowed that he's "not coming back" and will live without the shot.

Gordons said he was disillusioned with how the entire vaccination campaign. "They just give misinformation," he said, adding that "the people in there aren't given the supplies to do what they have to do," he said.

Health authorities said that a professional development day at Montreal schools on Thursday resulted in a greater number of children showing up at the mall clinic and exhausting the 2,500 dose stockpile.

Lorraine Bouvier, the centre's nursing director, said that more doses of the vaccine on their way to the clinic.

"If we see that there's a demand, we'll be able maybe to go to 3,000" doses, she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/20/montreal-flu-clinic.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

Vaccination of general public may start soon

Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | 8:54 PM ET

CBC News

Quebec's chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier says some regions are still short on doses of the H1N1 vaccine. (CBC)

Some regions of Quebec may soon be able to start vaccinating members of the general public against the swine flu as early as next week, public health officials said Friday.

On Thursday, some regions were able to begin vaccinating seniors against the H1N1 virus as officials announced they will receive a larger-than-expected shipment of vaccine next week.

Next week the province is expected to receive 1.1 million doses of the vaccine, roughly double what it has received on a weekly basis so far.

The increased supply means some regions may also be able to accelerate plans to vaccinate healthy adults over the age of 19 ? the last group eligible for vaccination, said Quebec's chief public health officer, Dr. Alain Poirier.

?Since we had good news Thursday? we can expect that it will be a little bit earlier than what was expected,? Porier said.

But Poirier said the situation is not the same across all of the province?s regions.

?Actually some regions don't have enough vaccines to keep ? [vaccinating] because ? the uptake was much higher in their population ? so some of them are closed right now,? Poirier said.

So far, 1.7 million Quebecers have been vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

Poirier expressed disappointment that so far only 31 per cent of those under the age of 65 considered to have chronic illnesses ? one of the priority groups for vaccination ? have taken advantage of the program.

?Probably a lot of them are not thinking of themselves as having a chronic disease,? said Poirier. ?But hopefully? they will come with the rest of the general population [to be vaccinated],? Poirier said.

?It is ? voluntary,? Poirier said. ?There is no way we can force people.?

While the vaccination of school-aged children continues, Poirier deflected criticism from teachers groups about the fact their members will not be vaccinated at the same time.

?There is a lot of people who do have important tasks in the population ? including myself ? and I am waiting and eager to get the vaccination,? said Poirier. ?But we should keep the doses for those who are higher risk than us.?


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/20/montreal-flu-clinic.html

 

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Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

More Quebecers must be vaccinated: officials

Montreal schools start busing children to vaccination centres

Last Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 | 9:37 PM ET

CBC News

Quebec's chief public health officer says it is important for people to be vaccinated. (CBC)

Quebec?s chief public health officer says he is concerned people may become complacent about getting vaccinated as swine flu approaches its peak in the province.

Nearly two million Quebecers ? about one-quarter of the population ? have been vaccinated so far, Dr. Alain Poirier said Monday.

Public health experts still don?t know what percentage of the population must be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus to block the spread of the flu, he said. It is clear, however, that not enough Quebecers have had shots.

At Montreal?s Palais des congr?s on Monday, more people were lined up for coffee at the food court than were waiting in line to be vaccinated.

"Maybe we should have some doughnuts at the vaccination centre to have people come for their vaccine," Poirier said.

The province expected to receive 1.1 million doses of the vaccine this week.

Last week, Poirier indicated that if the sole producer of the vaccine,
Quebec-based GlaxoSmithKline, can maintain its production levels, the vaccination of the general public could start this week.

Although the wider vaccinations haven't begun, Poirier worried some people are losing interest in getting the shots as hospitalizations from flu begin to stabilize. Getting vaccinated is as important as ever, he said.

"If you can get away from that disease with just a small needle then you do it, because then you will protect all sorts of people who ? in the pyramid ? are more at risk," he said. "And they will be hospitalized and in intensive care, and some of them will die."

There are also signs the number of flu cases is starting to stabilize in the province?s schools.

Two weeks ago, the rate of absenteeism was above 10 per cent across a total of 540 schools, said Michel C. Dor?, Quebec's deputy minister of public security. On Monday, Dor? said the number had been cut in half, with only 215 schools reporting high rates of students out sick.

"This is encouraging, and with the vaccination that is continuing, we expect the problem of absenteeism to continue to decline," Dor? said.

Busing of children starts in Montreal

Monday was the first day school-aged children were being bused to vaccination centres on the island of Montreal.

Though students at the French-language Marguerite Bourgeoys School Board are already being bused to vaccination centres, Montreal?s two English school boards said it could take until next week before they start.

Most schools only began sending out parental consent forms on Monday.
Officials at the English Montreal School Board said they wanted to be prudent and meet with administrators to discuss the process first.

Vice-chairwoman Sylvia Lo Bianco school boards have yet to learn who will foot the bill for the plan, but this hasn?t affected the speed of their planning.

"How do you attach a dollar sign to the life an individual, to the life of a child? That's what it boils down to."

Public health officials have encouraged parents to take their children to be vaccinated on their own, if possible, rather than wait for the schools to organize transportation.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/23/quebec-vaccination-nov23.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

H1N1 vaccine available for everyone Wednesday

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | 5:11 PM ET

CBC News


Some regions of Quebec will begin vaccinating members of the general public against swine flu starting Wednesday, Health Minister Yves Bolduc said Tuesday.

Until now, the province has focused on vaccinating priority groups most at-risk of catching the H1N1 virus, including young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses.


But starting Wednesday, Bolduc said the following regions would start vaccinating members of the general public:

• Montreal.
• Laval.
• Mont?r?gie.
• Eastern Townships.
• Provincial Capital Region.
• Chaudi?re-Appalaches.
• C?te-Nord.

Starting on Monday, Bolduc said the rest of the province?s regions would also begin offering the vaccine to all residents who want it.

So far, Bolduc said the province has already vaccinated more than two million people, or 25 per cent of the population.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/24/quebec-vaccines-general.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Quebec - Novel H1N1 Vaccine Availability

<TABLE width=1 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle><SMALL><IMG style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; WIDTH: 150px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="Dr. Richard Lessard, Montreal's director of public health, says not enough Montrealers are being vaccinated.



<i>(CBC)</i>" onerror="document.getElementById('feedsimgdiv').style.display='none'" src="http://images.sympatico.ca/images/Feeds/cbcLocalNews/mtl-richard-lessard-nov25.jpg"> Dr. Richard Lessard, Montreal's director of public health, says not enough Montrealers are being vaccinated.
(CBC) </SMALL>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



Montrealers urged to get flu shot

25/11/2009 7:57:38 PM
CBC News

Montreal's director of public health Dr. Richard Lessard says not enough people in the region are turning out to be vaccinated against the swine flu.

Wednesday was the first day the H1N1 vaccine was offered to members of the general public in eight regions of the province, including Montreal.

So far 500,000 Montrealers have been vaccinated since the campaign began a month ago, but Lessard said health care officials hope to vaccinate three times that number - or about 80 per cent of the city's population of 1.8 million.

So far in the region, only one priority group has reached that target. Lessard said 89 per cent of health-care workers received the vaccine.

Lessard speculated that is because they have witnessed the potential effects of the flu.

Though fewer people are falling ill, Lessard said the number of people seriously ill in hospital in Montreal has grown from 154 last week to 214 on Wednesday.

Lessard said the average hospital stay due to the H1N1 flu is between 14 and 21 days.

The drop in the overall number of cases should not dissuade people from getting the vaccine, said Montreal health agency president David Levine.

"If a lot of people are dying, and I'm scared, I want to get vaccinated," Levine said. "But if not a lot of people are dying, then I don't need to bother - is probably the most dangerous thing to do."

Getting vaccinated against the flu is also a social responsibility, Levine said

"What we're saying now, is go with your family, go with your parents, go with your children and get vaccinated," Levine said. "You're protecting not only yourself, but all the people around you."

Over the lunch hour Wednesday, there was virtually no wait at the vaccination centre at the city?s Palais des congrès, the CBC?s Loreen Pindera reported from the scene.

Province-wide record broken

While officials in Montreal said the vaccination campaign is going slowly, provincial officials said a record was broken Tuesday for the total number of people vaccinated in one day.

More than 106,000 people were vaccinated across Quebec, said the province's chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier.

"I am just happy that Quebecers understand the message that we're delivering," Poirier said.

He said the arrival of more doses next week means the province can continue to open more vaccination centres.

Next week, Poirier said the province will receive 1.3 million doses of the vaccine - 200,000 more than this week.

He said officials would continue to send the message that getting vaccinated is necessary.

"Fifty per cent of [people] hospitalized were under 20, and of that number most of them are in good health," Porier said. "If you are hospitalized, it means that it is a serious disease. Usually you don't get hospitalized for flu - so this is in an indication that we are not protected even if we are in good health."

Poirier said he was "very happy" to now be eligible for the vaccine, and said he looked forward to getting it in the coming days.

Poirier also confirmed it is possible the number of cases of the H1N1 virus in the province has hit its peak.

"We are not seeing the growth [in the number of cases], that we've seen over the past two weeks," Porier said.

However he admitted there could still be some fluctuations in the number of cases in the future.

Insurance companies criticized Michel C. Doré, Quebec's deputy public security minister, was critical of insurance companies he said are still requiring medical certificates from workers off sick with swine flu.

He said the government set an example for employers by not requiring a doctor's note for absences of less than seven days to help avoid putting pressure on the health-care system.

Doré said special flu clinics, staffed by nurses, have been set up to help reduce the burden on hospitals and medical clinics.

A paper signed by a nurse from a flu clinic is in our opinion sufficient to justify an absence - related to flu symptoms, Doré said.

http://news.sympatico.cbc.ca/Local/...line=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True