(Posted 2:30 p.m., Oct. 31)
Demand for H1N1 flu shots leads to long lineups, early morning waits and frustration
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Diane Sutherland attaches a wristband to her son Keiren's wrist outside the H1N1 vaccination clinic at the Orleans Client Service Centre on Saturday while her daughter Kaylie looks on. Fred Sherwin/Photo

Soaring demand, mixed messages and long waits ending in frustration are beginning to take their toll on area residents as the city's H1N1 vaccinations program enters its sixth day.

People started lining up outside the Orléans Client Service Centre on Centrum Boulevard at 2 a.m. Saturday morning and by 4:30 a.m. there were over 200 people in line. That number steadily swelled until 7:30 a.m. when officials from the Ottawa Health Department started handing out wristbands.

By 8:30 a.m., all 550 of the wristbands which the clinic had been allocated for the day had been handed out. Anyone with a wristband had the option of either waiting or coming back during a designated time.

Another 150 people were given the option to wait in line in case some of the people who were given wristbands either came back late, or didn't show up at all. That left another 150 people who had already waited up to an hour, completely out of luck.

For those people who had been waiting in line since the early morning hours like Paula Jones, having a wristband meant that she and her husband Colin and their 15-month--old son would be among the lucky few who were assured of getting vaccinated.

"I came with my son on Thursday and we waited for almost two hours before they said they wouldn't be able to take anymore people, so to know that we'll be able to get our shots today is a huge relief," said Jones who arrived at the Client Service Centre at 4:30 a.m.

Asked why she was so determined to get the H1N1 flu shot, Jones said it was all about her infant son.

"I don't want him to die. The alternative is unacceptable," said Jones.

Like Jones, Diane Sutherland had also been to the clinic before only to get turned away at the last minute and she too had joined the lineup outside the Orleans Client Service Centre at 4:30 a.m.

"I drew the short straw," joked Sutherland who waited in line while her husband slept at home with their two children Kaylie, 2, and Keiren, 5.

"I got number 124. A lot of the people who were in line with me had been here before. I waited for two and a half hours on Tuesday and was six people from the front when they closed it down," said Sutherland.

"We normally don't get the seasonal flu shot, but after seeing the recent stories about the two kids who died from H1N1 we decided we better get the kids vaccinated."

A number of the people who were at the back of the line on Saturday were upset that the Ottawa Health Department has decided to give the vaccine to anyone who shows up even though they advised that people in certain high risk categories such as pregnant women and kids under the age of six should get vaccinated first.

"I have diabetes and my son has asthma and I want to get him vaccinated, but this is crazy," commented a man who would only give his first name as Derek. "I was up at the front of the line a little while ago to see what was going on and I saw one woman walk out with what must have been four or five bracelets. How's that fair? People are getting vaccinated who don't have to while some of us who need it the most have to stand here in the rain and wait for I don't know how long."

Although they are not among the high risk groups, the Jones and the Sutherlands were split on whether or not they should get vaccinated at the same time as their children.

The Jones said they would be getting vaccinated, while the Sutherlands said they planned to come back another time.

"There's no way were going to go through this again," said Paula Jones. "We figured if we're here already why not get it."

The Sutherland's had a different take on the matter.

"There's no way we're going to get vaccinated and risk that a child further down the road or someone who's at a high risk won't get theirs," said Diane Sutherland.

At last report, more than 50,000 people had been vaccinated at the city's five H1N1 clinics in the first five days of operation. More than 4,000 people have been vaccinated at the Orléans clinic alone, but that's a far cry from the 50 per cent target that has been set by health officials.

At the current rate it will take six weeks to inoculate 50 per cent of the population of Ottawa, and that's if there's enough vaccine to go around. The city received 49,500 additional doses of the vaccine on Friday which should last until next Thursday. No commitments for further shipments have been made past that point.

In the meantime, the emergency rooms at the city's five major hospitals have been getting inundated with suspected H1N1 cases and daycares and elementary schools are reporting that absences are on the rise. At one day care in Orléans, the number of kids has gone from 20 to just four.

A woman reported to OrleansOnline.ca on Friday that her son was the only person on his school bus which usually has close 15 or 16 kids on it.

Parents are being advised that if their child develops flu-like symptoms they should treat them as if they had the regular seasonal flu. However, they should pay particular attention to their breathing and a prolonged fever.

If their breathing becomes especially laboured or painful while resting they should call 9-1-1 right away. Another tell-tale sign is a prolonged fever, especially if the fever goes away and then returns within 24 to 36 hours.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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