Wait brief at Ladner's first public H1N1 clinic
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A steady stream of people visited South Delta's first public H1N1 clinic Monday (Nov. 9), but they rarely had to wait.
The clinic was held at the Ladner Community Centre from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and did not experience the line ups characteristic of many of those held elsewhere in the Lower Mainland over the past two weeks.
"It has been steady all day, according to the nurses, but it has not been overwhelming, and people have been very good about waiting," said Fraser Health spokesperson Joan Marshall. "And people who've arrived and realized they aren't part of the high risk group have been very good about that as well."
As the availability of the H1N1 vaccine enters its third week, Monday's public clinic was the first to be offered in South Delta.
Previously, residents had to make appointments with their family physicians or visit a walk-in clinic, options still available in the Fraser Health region.
Around mid-day Monday Tim Doan's family entered the community centre for both the seasonal flu and H1N1 shots.
Dad Tim Doan and mom Jessica Tran were eligible for the vaccine because they live in a home with an infant under six months old. They brought 25-month-old daughter Sophia for her shots as well.
The Surrey residents checked out the Fraser Health Authority's list of upcoming clinics and chose the Ladner location because Tran had the day off work.
Doan said the family was originally skeptical of the H1N1 vaccine and waited to see how others reacted to the jab. He said the decision to get the shot is the responsible one for him and his wife since they live in the same home as their newborn niece.
"I don't mind waiting (for the shot), but I don't want to bring it (H1N1) home and pass it on to my niece," said Doan.
While he said both shots felt like "just a pinch," daughter Sophia wailed as the needle neared. She wasn't the only one—a number of children four-years-old and under could be heard screaming in the gym.
While Marshall couldn't say how many vaccines were available at the clinic Monday, she said they did not anticipate a shortage.
When asked why South Delta had not offered a public clinic for the H1N1 vaccine until now, she said Fraser Health has tried to spread out the clinics and location has in part been based on population. She could not confirm a date for the next public clinic in South Delta.
The high priority groups currently eligible for the H1N1 vaccine include:
• people under 65 years old with chronic health conditions,
• pregnant women in the second half of their pregnancy,
• children six months of age to four years of age,
• people under 65 years old who are household members and care providers of infants less than six months old or are household members and care providers of people with weakened immune systems.
For more information visit fraserhealth.ca.
© Copyright 2007 South Delta Leader