Alberta sees another H1N1 death, premier defends wait times at clinics

[Pathfinder]

Alberta sees another H1N1 death, premier defends wait times at clinics

Michelle Lang and Renata D'Aliesio, Calgary Herald: Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:45 PM

CALGARY ? Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is defending the hours-long lineups people in his province are facing to get the H1N1 vaccine as news emerged Thursday that another person from the Calgary area had died with H1N1.

Stelmach said the long lineups being faced by those looking for the vaccine are a result of the province's decision to make the vaccine immediately available to all residents, not just to high-risk groups.

"This is a serious matter. We're doing the best we can, right across Canada," Stelmach said. "Overall, people are pleased that we do have the vaccine and we're offering it to all Albertans."

Stelmach noted a limited vaccine supply means fewer clinics in the first week of the immunization campaign.

"We're getting as much of the vaccine as possible," the premier said.

Meanwhile, officials said Thursday that another person from the Calgary area had died with H1N1.

Dr. Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health for Calgary, confirmed the death.

"It's a Calgary-area resident," she said. "It's an adult male."

She offered no further details.

Alberta has now recorded 13 deaths linked to H1N1, four of them since Friday.

The province's vaccination program has been heavily criticized for long lineups, and only a handful of clinics in Calgary and Edmonton to serve the province's two largest cities.

Jurisdictions outside Alberta have been encouraging only high-risk individuals to get the vaccine in the early days of the vaccination effort.

Those considered most at risk for H1N1 are health-care professionals, pregnant women, the elderly, the chronically ill and young children between six months and five years of age.

According to Alberta Health Services' latest H1N1 pandemic response plan, the new strain of influenza could affect a quarter of the population ? about 875,000 Albertans ? during the second wave this fall and winter.

This worst-case scenario could result in the hospitalization of between 3,800 and 11,400 patients, of whom 15 to 25 per cent are expected to need intensive care.

The health board's pandemic plan also suggests H1N1 could contribute to between 130 and 400 deaths in Alberta, compared with roughly 17 deaths annually due to seasonal influenza.

Opposition parties have raised questions about whether Alberta's health system can cope with the worst-case scenario.

"Alberta's major hospitals and intensive-care units are routinely at 100 per cent capacity," Liberal Leader David Swann said Wednesday.

"Failure to ensure appropriate staffing levels to accommodate for a public health outbreak has left the system unable to cope," added NDP Leader Brian Mason. "It creates serious doubts about Alberta's capacity to cope with any health emergency."

But Health Minister Ron Liepert said the medical system is weathering the added strain of H1N1.

"Clearly, across the province, we are having obvious signs that the number of cases of H1N1 is increasing. That's not surprising. We expected that," he said this week.

Alberta Health Services said city emergency rooms have been so busy, medical staff have been moved from other areas of the hospital to help.

http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/healt...defends+wait+times+clinics/2159637/story.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alberta sees another H1N1 death, premier defends wait times at clinics

H1N1 vaccine shortage feared; people turned away at clinics
H1N1 hospitalizes 95 Calgarians

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Sarah McGinnis and Chuck Chiang, Calgary Herald
October 30, 2009 11:35 AM


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More Images ?
About 2000 people wait in line for their flu shot at the Avenida location in Calgary's south, October 30, 2009.
Photograph by: Grant Black, Calgary Herald

CALGARY - Calgarians are reporting that many who showed up at two H1N1 vaccination clinics this morning have been turned away, as residents flood various locations with the fear of a vaccine shortage rising.

There are also reports that both the Richmond Road Diagnostic Treatment Centre clinic, at 1820 Richmond Rd. S.W., and the Avenida Village mall location have been closed for the day.

Alberta confirmed its 13th H1N1-related death Thursday, as the federal government warned the province to expect next week less than half the
H1N1 vaccine it had ordered.

As long lineups continued on the fourth day of vaccination clinics in Calgary and across the country, provincial health authorities are awaiting final numbers from Ottawa on what portion of their orders they will have at their disposal.

But if this week's overwhelmed flu shot clinics are any indication, their shipments could fall well short of demand.
Alberta had been expecting a shipment of 200,000 doses for next week, but has been told it may only get 90,000.

"That means we'll be ensuring we use that vaccine wisely," said John Tuckwell, spokesman for Alberta Health and Wellness.
The province will have received 600,000 doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of today.

News of the supply shortage comes as one more Canadian H1N1 death was reported: a middle-aged woman from Edmonton.

The reduced numbers mean local public health units, which are responsible for administering the vaccine, may have to modify plans over the weekend for how they operate clinics next week.

The federal government said it was informed by Canada's H1N1 vaccine manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, that vaccine supply will be lower next week because its facility only has one production line for two types of vaccine.

Glaxo first produced batches of vaccine with an adjuvant--an additive that boosts the immune system --and by the end of the day today six million doses will have been shipped to the provinces and territories.

Glaxo temporarily switched its production line to manufacture 1.8 million doses without the adjuvant, the vaccine that is preferred for pregnant women. It has now switched back to making the adjuvanted vaccine but, because of the interruption, there is a reduced number of doses for next week.

"It is important to also note that every batch of vaccine is quality tested before it is shipped to the provinces and territories. This also affects the amount of vaccine delivered each week," said a statement from Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

"GSK assures us that they will be back up to providing the provinces and territories with millions of doses the following week."

The minister said the goal is to have Canadians who want the shot immunized by Christmas and that "we remain on track to meet this goal."
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert noted the province is preparing to deal with a limited amount of the vaccine being available.

"The intent always was the vaccine would be manufactured and distributed over a two-month period," he said.

"We have to be careful that it is distributed in a way that we're getting maximum benefit out of the vaccine and that we don't have a provincewide shortage of vaccine."
Liepert also said the province doesn't yet have an assurance that more vaccines are coming next week.

"We are hopeful," he said, adding that the province has placed orders to acquire vaccines for every Albertan.

On Wednesday, 30,637 H1N1 flu vaccines were administered in the greater Calgary area alone, including urban and rural flu shot clinics and specialized programs for medical staff.

Some Calgarians have already spent upwards of six hours waiting in line to receive their flu shots this week.

It's unclear if the delay in resupplying the vaccine will mean Calgary's five flu clinics could run out of the drug.

"What this means is things will slow down. We'll keep providing vaccine as long as we've got it," MacDonald said.

"If we have the non-adjuvanted, then we'll be directing that to the appropriate groups, pregnant women that are eligible for the non-adjuvanted vaccine. If we don't have the adjuvanted vaccine, then we'll take a breather (from the clinics) and wait for it to come to us."

Young children have been receiving their H1N1 vaccines in half doses, with the intent they return 21 days later for the second injection.

A possible vaccine shortage shouldn't affect these children because the second dose doesn't have to be administered on the 21st day. It can occur any time after the initial three-week waiting period, said MacDonald.

Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday lineups have been longer in Alberta because the province decided to make the vaccine available to all residents off the bat, not just to high-risk groups.

"This is a serious matter. We're doing the best we can, right across Canada. Overall, people are pleased we do have the vaccine and we're offering it to all Albertans."

Liberal Leader David Swann said the vaccine-crunch should prompt the province to alter the first phase of its immunization plan, focusing on high-risk groups instead of offering the shots to all Albertans.
He said it's vital to ensure Albertans most vulnerable to H1N1 get the vaccine first.

"We should be focusing on the high-risk groups and the essential-services workers or we could compound the problems very seriously," said Swann, a former medical doctor.

"We cannot be giving this out to just the average person who is anxious and wants this --and should have it--but isn't the highest priority."

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health...+feared+13th+death+Alberta/2161628/story.html