H1N1 Virus Update - October 30th as reported from Inside Toronto

H1N1 clinics for priority groups only next week (Content courtesy of Inside Toronto) Date written: October 30th

Province confirms shortage of H1N1 vaccine next week. A Toronto public health nurse injects a youngster with the H1N1 vaccine during an innoculation clinic held Friday at the Scarborough Civic Centre. Staff photo/DAN PEARCE

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In light of a shortage of the H1N1 flu vaccine from the supplier, provincial Health Minister Deb Matthews said flu shot clinics across Ontario will have to be scaled back next week.

Matthews made the comments Friday, Oct. 30 afternoon, and by 5 p.m. the City of Toronto's chief medical officer of health Dr. David McKeown announced that next week's clinics in the city would only be for priority patients.

"We will be asking healthy people who are not in the priority groups to be patient and to not attend those clinics," said McKeown.

Originally, next week's clinics were to be for members of the general public, but that is now no longer the case. Only priority groups will be given the vaccine.

Priority groups are pregnant women, children aged six months to five years, people under 65 with chronic conditions, people who live with or care for infants under six months and immuno-compromised people and health care workers.

Matthews said the federal government told the province there are only 500,000 doses of the vaccine available next week from the manufacturer for the entire country.

Ontario, which received 700,000 doses of the vaccine this week, will now be receiving just 170,000 doses during the coming week instead of the one million it was expecting.

Toronto clinics on Oct. 29 and 30 for priority groups were inundated with those looking to receive the vaccine. Lines snaked outside civic centres for hours until most clinics were forced to close early.

The following is the schedule for next week's clinics for priority patients in Toronto:

On Saturday, clinics will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Timothy Eaton Business and Technical Institute at 1251 Bridletowne Circle, the Melody Public School gym at 24 Strathburn Blvd., the East York Civic Centre at 850 Coxwell Ave., and the Etobicoke Civic Centre at 399 The West Mall.

On Monday, clinics will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the East York Civic Centre, the North York Civic Centre, the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre at 200 Eglinton Ave. W., the Etobicoke Civic Centre, Melody Public School, the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre at 220 Cowan Ave., the Scarborough Civic Centre, the North Kipling Community Centre at 2 Rowntree Rd., and the Timothy Eaton Business and Technical Institute.

Starting Tuesday, all clinics will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. until Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Given the rapidly changing situation and new information coming in, please visit the city's public health website at www.toronto.ca/health