Manitoba Health said Thursday that they plan on moving away from the mass H1N1 immunization clinics shortly and allowing doctors to vaccinate patients at their office. A specific date on when that would happen wasn’t provided. The WRHA said a number of their mass immunization clinics are not performing as well as others and will likely shut down earlier than others. Among the top of the list of those that could possibly close are the clinics in Point Douglas, St. Boniface, Transcona and Inkster. Milton Sussman, chief operating officer and vice president, said they had originally secured the mass immunization locations until December 4, but are looking to extend that by one week.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald said they do not anticipate further shortages of the vaccine at this time, noting that the province received 172,000 doses of the adjuvanted vaccine on Monday. Another 204,000 doses are on the way next week.
Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, Dr. Joel Kettner, said Manitobans can expect to see the H1N1 virus present right through the winter, highlighting the seasonal influenza as a culprit as well.
703 additional cases of lab-confirmed H1N1 were also reported Thursday, bringing the total of those infected to 1,246 since the second wave began on October 6.
The WRHA has also made available three H1N1 flu shot clinics this Saturday, November 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those wanting the shot on the weekend can visit Grant Park Shopping Centre (1150 Grant Ave.), Indo-Canadian Arts and Cultural Centre (479 St. Mary’s Road) and Garden City Shopping Centre (2305 McPhillips Street).
Anyone wanting to get the vaccine can now do so, without the limitation of being categorized into a priority group. View clinic locations.
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