Watch above: Residents encouraged to get flu shots as Saskatoon clinics
SASKATOON – It’s that time of year again when regional health officials ask you to roll up your sleeve and get a flu shot. Not only for your protection but for those who are most vulnerable.
“We want to create a protective bubble for these individuals so that way they don’t catch the infection and then end up hospitalized or end up dying,” said Dr. Shovita Padhi, deputy medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR).
On Tuesday, Steven Lund was one of the first in the health region to get his shot after the 21-year-old fell ill with influenza in September.
“I had no energy, I was bed ridden for two days after and had a very sore throat, cough,” said Lund.
Every year in Canada, influenza hospitalizes more than 12,000 people and causes over 3,000 deaths.
In Saskatchewan, there were 67 intensive care unit admissions in the province and 16 deaths during the 2013-2014 flu season.
In the Saskatoon Health Region, one in every four people diagnosed with influenza is hospitalized annually and last year only 27 per cent of the general public received a flu shot.
“Twenty seven per cent definitely isn’t getting us to the levels we need to interrupt flu transmission in our communities we should really be aiming for the high 80’s/90 per cent flu coverage so we still have a long ways to go,” explained Padhi.
Flu shots are encouraged for everyone six months and older but are particularly important for those who are at risk of serious complications.
“For children under the age of five only 42 per cent were immunized, for seniors citizens it was around 50 per cent and those are for individuals 65 and over and for those medically at risk so they have an underlying medical conditional that make flu a lot more riskier for them that was only 39 per cent and pregnant women was 19 per cent,” said Padhi.
Rates health officials say are concerning especially among those who are medically at risk.
“These are individuals who are regularly in contact with the health care system so we know we need to work more synergistically with our partners in the health care system to increase access to flu vaccine to these individuals,” added Padhi.
This year the province has ordered 450,000 doses of vaccine, an increase of more than 20,000 from last year.
The region is also offering more flu shot clinics, 47 in total from October to December in Saskatoon and the surrounding area in hopes of seeing an increase in influenza rates.
“Strategically we tried to commit to a lot of different facilities and areas where people can be immunized such as physician offices, having appointments for those severely immunocompromised, etc. in terms of just having access to vaccine, in terms of choice, evenings, Saturdays and clinic locations,” said Sarah Skanderbeg, immunization manager with SHR.
On Wednesday, a mass public influenza immunization clinic will get underway at Prairieland Park where health officials say close to 4,000 people are immunized a day.
When asked how people will get to the site while transit workers are locked out, health officials said they are just hoping for a speedy return to the city service.
“It’s been something on our minds and we haven’t come up with a great solution for that,” said Skanderbeg.
Also new this flu season, is a policy requiring all Saskatchewan health care workers to either get an influenza immunization or wear a mask.
READ MORE: Sask. implements flu shot or mask policy for health-care workers
The policy will go into effect at the start of flu season, which usually runs from late November through to late March.
“In most cases our employees are in patient care areas or traveling through our facilities, it is required that all employees are immunized and if they choose to not be immunized that they wear a mask in the common areas,” explained Shelly McFadden, director of safety and wellness with SHR.
Last year, 68 per cent of health care providers in the region received their flu shot with the health region striving for even more this flu season.
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