With the city’s H1N1 vaccination clinics beginning today, Ottawa Public Health officials are confident Ottawa residents will respect vaccination timelines.
Clinics for the first seven to 14 days will target people who need it most — children between six months and five years of age, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women.
“We have faith people will do the right thing in terms of coming in early if they are in the groups that we’re asking to come in early and being patient if they’re not in these groups,” said Ottawa’s medical officer of health Dr. Isra Levy.
People should allow an hour for the process —which includes registration, vaccination and a 15-minute waiting period — at each of the five clinics open daily, said Shauna Graham, program manager for Ottawa Public Health. Over the weekend, a pre-teen girl died from H1N1 at an Ottawa hospital, medical officer of health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said yesterday.
“We do know that it is Influenza A based on preliminary tests,” Roumeliotis said.
The victim was admitted to hospital Friday, Roumeliotis said. “It’s in the second wave and it’s readily transmissible,” Roumeliotis said of the virus. “We do know that school outbreaks mean that it’s in the community or going to be in the community.”
Ottawa has also seen increased activity over last two or three weeks, said Levy.
