H1N1 priority question?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 29, 2009

Out here it's been a total free-for-all. No screening at all, just get in line and wait your turn. My husband and son, both high risk, waited for 6 hours at the flu shot clinic at Edmonton Garrison. Tell me how many of those ahead of them in line were in a risk category? Admittedly there was a significant number of small children there, but I doubt that every person there needed to be in the first wave.

The media is having a field day over this. The minister of health apologized to the people for the long waits but didn't accept culpability for them; they've had 8 months to plan for this and the end result falls far short of the mark. It has every appearance of being cobbled together at the last minute. Of course there aren't enough nurses to provide the shots; they're pulling staff off the inpatient floors to give them.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Long+waits+shots+pathetic/2151196/story.html

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Stelmach+apologizes+driver+remark/2152114/story.html

Read the comments, they make fascinating reading. Some of them truly reflect Alberta's red-neck image.

linzz · Oct 29, 2009

Well, Ontario sure isn't doing much better. I am also frustrated as I am envisioning my husband and son who are both high risk waiting a long time also. My other son and I will wait as we are not high risk and I am pretty sure that we both have already had the flu of some sort.

Glad to hear that your family did get the shot at last.

loriangel14, RN · Oct 29, 2009

I just got mine today at work. My charge nurse was given a couple of bottles so everyone on today and some of housekeeping got the shot.

RGN1 · Oct 31, 2009

It's not a problem if you're staff but there's no way I'm waiting in long lines with the kids - will let the initial rush pass. They are not very high risk so i hope they can wait safely.

As for high risk versus low they were talking to people in the lines here in Calgary & the general attitude ranged from "I'm entitled to it as much as the next" to the well person who said he was getting it early because he didn't want to infect his pregnant wife who was waiting for the safer version to be rolled out. It's hard to make a judgement on why the person in front is in line - they may well have a really valid reason to be there too.

Fiona59 · Oct 31, 2009

Well, the first day of the staff roll out at my hospital was a total free for all. The signs said for employees only (well, we all knew that if the paramedics, police or fire were willing to stand with staff they'd get done).

Well, the visitors in the hospital that day joined the line (the media told them that no one would be turned away from an immunization clinic) and demanded they get done. So the wait the first day was well over one hour.

By day two the signs clearly stated must have employee ID and referrals were given to community locations.

The general report is a very sore arm about ten hours later that lasts for about 36 hours. So we can't blame technique but the actual dose.

RGN1 · Nov 1, 2009

Yeah, the only trouble I had was a bit of a sore arm for a couple of days, started after about 5 hrs. Some of our staff said they got very sick but I didn't have any issues at all.

5cats · Nov 1, 2009

Yeah, I had chills starting same evening and felt "under the weather" for a couple of days, and so some of my collegues, but we all got 2 shots, seasonal and H1N1 so that might be the reason. We had a mobile cart going around or you could line up at the office.

Otherwise I think the approach in my healthregion is right, this week they are starting with the pregnant women and young children, but there's concern if the amount of delivered vaccines will be enough.

5cats

RGN1 · Nov 4, 2009

Well since the start of this thread haven't things taken an interesting turn in Alberta??? I honestly don't think that even a so called third world country could have done any worse!!! :-D What's more astounding is that the idiots responsible won't even admit there is a problem or that their incompetence/ignorance/sheer idiocy caused it!!

Of course if you're related in any way to a Flames player you're probably already OK! Mind you, I also have to say they really couldn't have expected top sports people to line up with everyone else, it would have equalled a complete & utter chaos worse than it was! Also, in their defense they got the shot before all this shortage info came out.

Maybe this will sway the USA firm trying to rebrand Calgary at the moment -no money but hey we have $180,000 lying around for that rubbish!!! Let me think .................. "Calgary -we can screw anything up!!!"