Although a second shipment of 46,000 H1N1 vaccines arrived in Ottawa Wednesday night, the demand has been so high that Ottawa Public Health anticipates running through the supply by Sunday or Monday.
That means that the city will have gone through 83,500 doses in one week or less.
The good news: the city is hoping for a third shipment by Monday, said medical officer of health Dr. Isra Levy.
“We know that over time, the federal government has enough doses of the vaccine so that every Canadian who wants the vaccine will be able to get it,” he said. “We also know that the vaccine is coming off the manufacturing lot at a certain rate, which means that not every Canadian who wants it can get it immediately.”
In the meantime, people who are not in the highest risk groups are asked to hold off on seeking a vaccine, Levy said.
While residents with mild cases of the flu are asked to treat symptoms at home, patients coming to hospitals should limit the number of people accompanying them and be prepared to wait and be treated in a separate area, said Thomas Hayes, director for occupation health and emergency preparedness at the Ottawa Hospital.
