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Shot shortage coming – Metro US

Shot shortage coming

Impatience and frustration, repeated fire alarms and mass evacuations at the Olympic Oval greet hundreds of Calgarians waiting in line for the H1N1 vaccine, according to an Oval employee.

And he is worried those scenarios may only worsen as Alberta Health Services deputy medical officer Dr. Judy MacDonald confirmed yesterday there will be a temporary interruption of vaccinations due to a vaccine shortage in the coming weeks.

“We know that beginning next week the vaccine supply will slow down and taper off,” MacDonald explained.

MacDonald said the reason for the disruption stems from the manufacturer as it starts to roll out the doses that are suitable for pregnant women, and then back to the vaccine for the general population.

“What this means is things will slow down and we’ll keep providing the vaccine as long as we’ve got it … If we don’t have more, we’ll take a breather and wait for it to come to us again.”

When asked whether the impending shortage will cause longer lineups and more chaos at existing clinics, MacDonald said it’s a possibility.

“It’s hard to speculate on that, human nature being what it is,” she said.

Despite the possible rush of vaccine seekers, there are no more planned clinics in the works — just the existing five, seven days a week, she added.

Richard George said he is worried about news of a temporary shortage of vaccine but can’t afford to miss work to stand in line.

“I thought I could go next week when it winds down, but now I’m worried it will get worse and then (the vaccine will) run out before we can get there,” he said.