VANCOUVER — Canadians from coast to coast rolled up their sleeves Monday as the country’s provinces and territories began vaccinations for the H1N1 virus, but for many the process was far from smooth.
In British Columbia, long lines were the norm at vaccination clinics, and some were even turned away due to vaccine shortages.
“There’s quite a pent up demand. I think people have been hearing about the vaccine for quite a long time now and it’s here and people are eager to get it,” said Gavin Wilson, a spokesman for health authority Vancouver Coastal Health.
But not everyone is convinced of the benefits of the hotly contested injection. Many Canadians are confused or conflicted about getting the flu shot.
In Ontario, doctors and health officials were doing their best to convince residents to get the shot, by appealing to their sense of duty, their flu fears, or just their sweet tooth.
“There was no pain whatsoever,” said Dr. Bob Bell, chief executive officer of the University Health Network and a surgeon, who rolled up his sleeve at Toronto General Hospital.
“And there’s a chocolate bar to follow.”
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Long lineups at the few clinics in Alberta’s major cities caused many head aches for both nurses and clients. However some of these same clinics were telling their clients to go to smaller Alberta communities as they would not be so busy. Wrong! The heavy influx of outsiders to small communities put an abnormal strain on these clinics and their staff who were not prepared for the tide. The result of this madness was that many members of these small communities were not able to get their flu shots. What a mess!
Re #1 — Quelle surprise!