CALGARY- Albertans are heeding the calls to get immunized against the flu. Problem is, Alberta Health Services doesn’t seem to be prepared for everyone who has shown up.
Many pharmacies have run out of the vaccine, and AHS clinics were closed on Monday—despite an urgent plea from the health minister just three days ago for people to come in. So far, 10 deaths in Alberta have been linked to the flu, along with 300 hospitalizations.
“If they say everyone needs one and they’ll be open, they should be open,” complains Mike Peace, who showed up at the clinic in Brentwood Village Mall. “This is very badly organized.”
Danny La also showed up with his three children in tow, and was shocked to find a closed sign on the clinic’s doors.
“We’ve just been in the doctor’s office and it’s not available for under six, so that’s why we had to go the health centre,” La says.
Since AHS extended clinic hours over the weekend, they were closed on Monday. The high demand also meant many pharmacies ran out, and there is no word when they’ll get more.
Shopper’s Drug Mart ran out on Friday.
“Unfortunately it’s not available,” says pharmacist Azita Rezaei. “Usually it slows down in the New Year, but because of the outbreak the demand is getting higher again.
“We hope that before the end of this week we actually receive some.”
The Chief Medical Officer of Health says AHS is going to reevaluate their distribution systems.
“Lots of people got the message and were coming into Calgary and Edmonton, so we need to take a look, reassess as we do every year, and see if the vaccine is better targetted to a smaller number of more accessible sites,” says James Talbot.
Flu clinics will reopen at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Click here for a list of locations.
More flu numbers, provided by AHS:
- The 10 patients who died were between the ages of 18-64, and some were young and healthy with no previous health problems.
- The majority of the cases are in Calgary
- So far, more than 23 per cent of the population has been immunized
- Alberta Health predicts flu season will peak in late January or early February.
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