Overwhelming demand for H1N1 vaccine sees thousands line up at Toronto clinics

TORONTO - The overwhelming demand experienced across Canada for the H1N1 vaccine spilled over onto Toronto streets Thursday as thousands turned up at clinics seeking protection from the swine flu.

Ontario health officials vowed that more centres operating under longer hours would open in the coming days. But they warned the heavy turnout for the shot had diminished supply quicker than anticipated and added there was some question about how much vaccine Ottawa would be giving the province.

"There is a suggestion that we have received that there may be less vaccine over the next two weeks," Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, conceded Thursday.

"I look forward to hearing more from the federal government in terms of how much we are actually going to get."

King was expected to make an announcement Friday on just how much vaccine would be made available to Ontario.

"The demand was higher at the beginning than what we had expected."

In Ottawa, the Liberals took the Harper government to task over its handling of the swine-flu vaccine, saying delays have cost lives.

Industry Minister Tony Clement replied by telling the House of Commons that six million doses of vaccine will be delivered by Friday.

"By the end of next week, there will be an additional three million doses for a total of nine million doses for Canadians," Clement said.

In Newfoundland, kids stayed home from school and a small group of parents protested on the island's south coast in a bid for faster access to the vaccine.

Until Thursday, Toronto's vaccination program had been limited to health-care workers.

With the opening of two clinics for high priority groups, thousands of concerned parents, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions joined massive lineups for the shot. Some arrived as early as 6 a.m.

By early afternoon, both Toronto clinics were turning away newcomers but said people already in line would get their shots.

"What we're seeing in Toronto is a mirror of what we're seeing across the country. There have been long lineups as the demand for vaccine increases," said Dr. David McKeown, the city's medical officer of health.

Samantha Barrett-Wallis, who is expecting a baby on Tuesday, arrived with her 3-year-old son about an hour after the clinic was supposed to open at noon, but was turned away.

"The security guard just told me they are approximating six-hours wait from the back of the line," she said.

"I'm sorry, I'm 39-and-a-half weeks pregnant. I can't stand in a line for six hours, it's crazy."

Chris, an 11-year-old boy with a brain tumour, was turned away along with his mother and younger siblings. His mother said she was disappointed that her son, who is undergoing chemotherapy, could not get the vaccine.

"It's disappointing to look at the line and see people who may or may not be high risk," she said.

Some people shouted "I can't believe this is Canada," and "This isn't a Third World country," in response to the chaos around them.

McKeown said lineups would dwindle when the city opens clinics to the general public next week.

"The level of interest in this vaccine has gone up very sharply in the past few days as a result of reports of increased circulation of the vaccine amid the deaths of healthy young kids," he said.

Evan Frustaglio, a 13-year-old hockey player from Toronto, died Monday after falling sick on the weekend and 10-year-old Vanetia Warner of the eastern Ontario community of Cornwall died Saturday after being ill for several days.

West of Toronto, in Oakville, police closed two roads because of the crush of people seeking H1N1 shots at the Halton Regional Centre.

King said the vaccine is largely being doled out in hospitals and health clinics, but health officials are working to make it available in smaller doses, making it more accessible for family physicians.

"As we roll out to the general population, we will look at other ways to reach people," said King, who added an additional 750,000 doses are being packaged and sent out to units.

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews rejected suggestions that the province was unprepared for the massive vaccination program, and said it is still up to local officials in each city to determine the best way to administer the vaccines.

"Our public health units have each developed a plan - we knew this was coming - and they're rolling out that plan," Matthews said.

"They're ramping up the number of clinics and the hours of the clinics, so we are responding in real time to the higher than anticipated demand."

People wanting the H1N1 vaccine in the northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., aren't waiting in long lineups because that city implemented an appointment system.

The province will look at that system and may ask other cities to adopt it, Matthews said.

Matthews also told the legislature that more help is being added to deal with a huge increase in calls to Ontario's Telehealth system, which is reporting long delays after being swamped with five times as many callers as expected.

People can also go to a Ministry of Health website at ontario.ca/flu and use an online self-diagnostic tool if they don't want to wait for a call back from Telehealth, said Matthews.