The Burntwood Regional Health Authority (BRHA) has vaccinated 34,711 people in the entire region, or 74 per cent of the population, against the H1N1 influenza. While the province as a whole has vaccinated 32 per cent, the BRHA is leading the way in ensuring its residents are prepared for the second wave of the H1N1 pandemic.
As of Dec. 1, the province had administered 384,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine. Health Minister Theresa Oswald says a total of 755,100 doses of the vaccine have been brought into Manitoba, with the province asking for as much vaccine as they can possibly get each week.
As the second wave of the H1N1 influenza continues, Oswald says many regional health authorities are moving away from mass vaccination clinics to having the vaccines available in doctors' offices, which started on Dec. 2. She says Manitobans can inquire about getting the vaccine with their family physician or can contact their regional health authorities for more information and options to get the shot.
"It is important to note that there are still mass clinics running the regional health authorities across the province. However, each regional health authority will be looking at the demand and the uptake in those mass clinics over the coming weeks and will be assessing how long it is appropriate to continue that approach," Oswald explains.
Dr. Joel Kettner, chief provincial public health officer, says the H1N1 virus is still circulating throughout the province as seen in continued numbers of positive lab test results and admission of patients into intensive care units. He says based on estimates that look at how many people have been vaccinated and how many have been infected with H1N1, approximately half of Manitobans are still susceptible to get the virus.
"How many of those will get an infection is unknown, but our evidence shows that with every passing week there are more Manitobans getting infected, some of whom get severely ill, and that is expected to continue," he explains.
Kettner also states that as the winter progresses, the province will focus not just on H1N1 vaccination but on ensuring other types of influenza and causes of pneumonia are brought to the publics' attention.
Blake Ellis, communications co-ordinator with the BRHA, says there is another H1N1 vaccine clinic taking place at the BRHA building beside the Thompson General Hospital on Dec. 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This clinic will focus on children between the ages of six months and three years that are receiving their second half-dose of the vaccine and for children between three and nine years who have chronic health conditions. It's also open to people who haven't received the shot yet.
