Monday, November 2, 2009

Vaccinating High Risk Only

South Shore Health’s H1N1 Vaccine Clinics scheduled for this week (November 2 through 6) in Lunenburg and Queens Counties will be targeted at specific high risk groups. Because of national vaccine supply issues, H1N1 vaccine will be limited to those most at risk from the virus.
These are:
· Pregnant women
· Children younger than five (six months to 59 months)
· People living in First Nations communities
· Health-care workers in district health authorities, long-term care facilities and home-care agencies who provide direct care to patients. This includes family physicians, family practice nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. If you do not belong to one of these groups you will not receive vaccine at this time.

The province will re-assess its vaccine supply on an ongoing basis, and will offer vaccine later to other groups, based on risk, as vaccine supply allows. Physician’s offices will not receive H1N1 vaccine until further notice. Physicians who have already received vaccine will be asked to only immunize people in the groups listed. Workplace immunization clinics for H1N1 will be postponed until further notice. http://www.ssdha.nshealth.ca/H1N1%20and%20Seasonal%20Flu%20Vaccine%20Poster.pdf

For an updated list of clinics visit
www.ssdha.nshealth.ca or call HealthLink 8-1-1.