Doctors' offices to offer H1N1 shots

MANY Manitobans will be able to get the H1N1 vaccination from their own doctors as four more Winnipeg clinics get set to close Monday.

The H1N1 flu shot is being delivered to doctors' offices across the province, the next step in the province's plan to make the vaccine accessible to as many Manitobans as possible, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced Tuesday.

"Getting a flu shot in a doctor's office is a familiar process for many people and now that we have enough vaccine, we're offering this option to physicians and Manitobans," Oswald said in a press release.

Some doctors' offices do not have the refrigeration facilities to store the vaccine, so patients will have to contact their family doctors individually to find out whether the vaccine is available there.

So far, 217,685 Winnipeggers have been vaccinated and the eight city clinics are reporting minimal wait times.

Three clinics will run this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Starting Monday, the Winnipeg Health Region will cut back to only four clinics running from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.

It's the final week for vaccination clinics at these locations:

"ö St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (2255 Grant Ave.)

"ö Portage Place Shopping Centre (393 Portage Ave.)

"ö U of M, Fort Garry Campus (Room 210, 2nd floor University Centre)

"ö Holy Eucharist Parish Centre (460 Munroe Ave.)

These clinics will remain open Saturday and next week:

"ö Grant Park Shopping Centre (1120 Grant Ave.)

"ö Indo-Canadian Arts & Cultural Centre (479 St. Mary's Rd.)

"ö Garden City Shopping Centre (2305 McPhillips St.)

This clinic is open Monday to Friday next week.

"ö St. Paul the Apostle Parish Centre (2400 Portage Ave.)

Nearly 30 per cent of Manitobans have been vaccinated during the second H1N1 wave, including:

"ö 54,675 people with chronic health conditions;

"ö 27,493 children between the ages of six months and under five, and 56,148 children aged five to 18;

"ö 23,863 people who live with or care for others who can't be vaccinated, including infants under six months of age or people with weakened immune systems;

"ö 16,198 health-care providers;

"ö 34,711 people in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority (more than 74 per cent of the region's population), which was particularly hard-hit in the spring;

"ö more than 48,000 people living on First Nations (an average of 57 per cent), with some First Nations reporting vaccination rates over 90 per cent; and

"ö 3,385 pregnant women.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 2, 2009 A9