Clinics target high risk groups Central Health 7,000 now vaccinated in the central region JANINE DAVIDGE Advertiser

Four-year-old Alex Patey bravely prepares to receive the pandemic flu vaccine, during Friday's mass immunization in Grand Falls-Windsor. Janine Davidge photo

Provincial Health officials estimate over 7,000 people have been immunized now in the Central Health region after clinics began Friday targeting those individuals considered to be at highest risk of having complications with the pandemic flu caused by the H1N1 virus.

The schedule for clinics that were supposed to begin in the central region today was bumped up to Friday, clinics were added and the criteria set for those at highest risk was revised all within a matter of 24 hours, with Health Minister Jerome Kennedy announcing the province would otherwise deplete its supply of H1N1 vaccine.

"We received information late today from the federal government," he said Friday, "that our vaccine allocation for the coming week would be much less than anticipated. Based on this, we have to reduce the high risk groups targeted for clinics."

Individuals under 65 with chronic health conditions were cut from the high-risk category, as were pregnant women not in the second half of their pregnancy. Children six months and up to but not including five years of age were pinpointed, along with those from five to 24 years with chronic health conditions, and pregnant women 20-40 weeks along in their pregnancy were given strict priority.

The strategy worked, according to the minister, who released a statement Saturday saying that public co-operation was "ensuring our limited vaccine supply is being utilized by those who need it most" and that vaccines had not yet run out.

Clinics started Friday in Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte, Gander and Conne River and were held in more regions Saturday with clinics in Springdale, New Wes Valley, Harbour Breton, Glovertown, Twillingate, St. Brendan's, Botwood, Baie Verte and Fogo Island. Sunday clinics were held as well in Change Islands, Buchans and St. Alban's.

In Grand Falls - Windsor, hundreds lined up outside the Beaumont Hamel Armoury all afternoon Friday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and into the evening. Municipal police directed traffic at the site.

April Stone closed her office down Friday to bring her two-year-old daughter Kallie to the clinic. "We're here after a lot of debate," she said. "There's a lot of information out there. I think at the end of the day you have to do what you can to protect your children, but I think for me and my husband Keith our thought was that we vaccinate for polio and her regular vaccinations, and far be it something devastating would happen if we didn't give her the shot."

Many in the lineup expressed relief that the weather was nice and it wasn't raining as they stood, many with children under five years of age and others with chronic health conditions. Some, like Renard Patey, were not happy, however, when they got to their destination an hour and 45 minutes later only to find out they did not meet the criteria to receive the H1N1 vaccine that day.

""I understood it was not for people over 65, well I'm not over 65 - I'm 65," he said. "They said it's for people under 65, well my birthday was in June so I explained that I just barely turned 65 years old. I explained that I have heart disease and lung problems and diabetes and I just finished treatment for cancer. She just said go away, she said you will receive it some other time."

Trudy Stuckless, Vice President for Professional Standard and Chief Nursing Officer for Central Health said aside from a few misunderstandings things went relatively well at the clinic as vaccines were administered from 1,400 doses that were made available at that site.

"We didn't have a lot of people we had to turn away today, so I guess most people were paying attention to the news releases and whatnot but there were some who didn't understand that if they were over 65 they wouldn't be able to be immunized," she said. She added there were some children that came in five years of age and older without chronic conditions and professionals wanting to be immunized due to their work with children that were sent away without the vaccine as well Friday.

After the high risk criteria was revised and the public warned of strict enforcement, officials reported shorter lineups and less problems turning some away on Saturday.

Central Health confirms there are three patients in Intensive Care in the Central Health Region with the H1N1 flu virus, and seven admissions since Friday with influenza-like illness. There have been 97 new cases of the H1N1 virus reported in the past week.

Visitations to hospitals in the central region have been limited at health care sites permitting no children under the age of 14, only one visitor at a time, and only immediate members of the family. Elective surgeries are continuing as scheduled, and central health has set up a new information line to deal with questions on the pandemic flu virus, vaccine and clinic schedules. That number is 1-877-311-2613.