EDMONTON

Albertans endure lengthy lineups for H1N1 vaccination

ctvedmonton.ca Published Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:39AM MDT

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As flu shot clinics across province began to administer the H1N1 vaccine Monday, the lineups of Albertans waiting to get the shot grew longer and longer.

Health officials said that while they are targeting at-risk people including the chronically ill and pregnant women, no one will be turned away from flu shot clinics. All Albertans aged six months and older are eligible to receive the vaccine free of charge.

"It's our responsibility to the community to not only protect yourself but the community as well," said Marilyn Beaver who got a head start in line to get a flu shot.

Alberta Health Services said extra staff will be on hand to monitor the wait times until Monday evening. Officials insist that those waiting for a shot will be informed in advance if they cannot get their shot before the clinic closes for the day.

"(We're) looking at getting more staff at clinics and again we can only move so many people through at the time," said Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health with Alberta Health Services.

Health Canada estimates one third of Canadians could come down with the virus and officials said the vaccine is the best protection.

A Strategic Counsel poll taken for CTV News and The Globe and Mail and released Sunday found that 51 per cent of Canadians do not plan to get vaccinated.

But Dr. Geoffrey Taylor believes the concern over H1N1 isn't hype, it's fact.

"More than 95 per cent of the virus circulating in Canada right now is the pandemic H1N1," said Taylor, director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alberta.

Taylor said the H1N1 vaccine has been widely used in other countries already and has shown to be safe. And while it's estimated about one in four people get the seasonal flu, Taylor said about four in ten will get H1N1.

"Because so many more people are going to catch it, some of those individuals are going to get severe consequences."

Alberta's Health Minister Ron Liepert made a plea Monday to convince Albertans to get the shot.

"We have a safe effective vaccine, don't listen to the naysayers and get immunized," he said.

Health officials said the side effects of the vaccination include pain around the injection site and a possible fever. And as for the serious side effects, health officials said it's impossible to determine those at this time.

Vaccination programs will continue through December.

Five Edmonton clinics are part of the mass immunization over the next few weeks. Those locations include: