Toronto Clinics now Closed – Will Re-Open in January

All Toronto H1N1 clinics are nowed and will reopen in January on a limited basis.

H1N1 and seasonal flu shots are available through many doctors’ offices, community health centres and walk-in clinics. Some employers will be hosting vaccination clinics in the workplace.

Throughout the month of January, Toronto Public Health will hold a limited number of clinics in civic centres and at Metro Hall to give young children a second dose of H1N1 vaccine. These clinics will also provide another opportunity for the public to get both seasonal and H1N1 vaccines.

January Vaccination Clinic Schedule

North York Civic Centre
5100 Yonge Street

* Tuesday, January 5, 4 – 8 p.m.
* Wednesday, January 20, 4 – 8 p.m.
* Saturday, January 30, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

East York Civic Centre
850 Coxwell Avenue

* Thursday, January 7, 4 – 8 p.m.
* Thursday, January 21, 4 – 8 p.m.

Etobicoke Civic Centre
399 The West Mall

* Tuesday, January 12, 4 – 8 p.m.
* Monday, January 25, 4 – 8 p.m.

Scarborough Civic Centre
150 Borough Drive

* Saturday, January 16, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
* Wednesday, January 27. 4 – 8 p.m.

Metro Hall
55 John Street

* Thursday, January 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
* Tuesday, January 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

PDF of the schedule can be found here: January Vaccination Clinics

H1N1 Death Means the Risk Still Remains

The death this past Sunday of an adult male from the Welland has been confirmed as H1N1 related – the third H1N1-related fatality in the Niagara Region since the virus arrived in the spring.

The 30 year man had an underlying health condition, asthma, according to the Niagara Public Health department.


The identity of the man was not released by public health officials but his family has released the cause of death in his obituary in a local Owen Sound newspaper.

The death indicated that the virus is still circulating in some communities and might not have peaked as some public officials have indicated.

As of Wednesday, more than 84,000 people in Niagara -roughly 20% of the population -have been vaccinated against H1N1 through public health clinics, family physicians, hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Public health has distributed more than 76,000 doses of the vaccine to doctors, hospitals and long-term care homes.

Visit www.niagararegion.ca for clinic dates and locations.

Toronto-area H1N1 clinics to offer shots to all

Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18th, Toronto Public Health will offer H1N1 vaccine to the general public.

“Our 10 clinics are fully staffed, and we are now operating seven days a week. Everyone is welcome,” said Dr. David McKeown, Medical Officer of Health.”

A news release today indicated over 400,000 does of the vaccine have been distributed to Toronto health care providers and approximately 85,000 people have been vaccinated at Toronto Public Health Clinics.

Health units in Toronto, Durham, York and Halton will offer the shots to everyone over six months of age starting Wednesday. Clinics in Peel region will make the vaccine, which targets the H1N1 influenza A virus that causes swine flu, available to everyone starting Thursday.

Clinics locations can be found here: Toronto H1N1 Vaccination Clinics

Flu assessment centres in Toronto are also open:

Locations can be found here: Toronto Flu Assessment Centres

Wellington -Dufferin-Guelph Flu Clinic Update

Community Flu Clinic Schedule for November 13 – November 27

Flu shots are free. Please bring your Ontario health card and driver’s licence. No appointment needed.


Clinic schedule may change depending on vaccine availability and priority group.  Please review schedule on a regular basis.
For more information call our Flu Hotline at 1-800-265-7293 ext. 4161

GUELPH
Friday, November 13

9 – 4 p.m.

Monday, November 16

1 – 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 17

1 – 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 18

1 – 8 p.m.

Thursday, November 19

1 – 8 p.m.

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

Thursday, November 26

9 – 4 p.m.

Friday, November 27

9 – 4 p.m.

FERGUS
855 David St. N, Unit 3

Friday, November 13

9 – 4 p.m.

Monday, November 16

1 – 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 17

1 – 8 p.m.

Thursday, November 19

1 – 8 p.m.

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

Monday, November 23

9 – 4 p.m.

Thursday, November 26

9 – 4 p.m.

Friday, November 27

9 – 4 p.m.

ORANGEVILLE
276A Broadway

Friday, November 13

9 – 4 p.m.

Monday, November 16

1 – 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 18

1 – 8 p.m.

Thursday, November 19

1 – 8 p.m.

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, November 25

9 – 4 p.m.

Thursday, November 26

9 – 4 p.m.

Friday, November 27

9 – 4 p.m.

SHELBURNE
Mel Lloyd Centre, Entrance C, Upstairs

Friday, November 13

9 – 4 p.m.

Tuesday, November 17

2 – 7:30 p.m.

ERIN
Erin Public School, 185 Daniel St.

Tuesday, November 24

4 – 8 p.m.

DRAYTON
Mapleton Health Centre, 11 Andrews Dr. W.

Wednesday, November 25

2 – 7:30 p.m.

PALMERSTON
Palmerston Community Centre, 520 Cavan St.

Wednesday, November 18

2 – 7:30 p.m.

MOUNT FOREST
WDG Public Health, 311 Foster St

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

GRAND VALLEY
Grand Valley and District P.S., 120 Main St N, RR#2

Tuesday, November 17

4 – 8 p.m.

ROCKWOOD
Rockwood Centennial P.S., 157 Pasmore St. S

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

ARTHUR
Arthur Public School, 155 Conestoga St. N.

Wednesday, November 18

4 – 8 p.m.

HARRISTON
Minto Clifford Public School, RR#1, 5804 Hwy 89

Friday, November 20

9 – 4 p.m.

Vaccine Update – Toronto Public Health

The priority groups for receiving the H1N1 vaccine has been expanded to include first responders such as police and firefighters as well as seniors over the age of 65 in institutions such as long term care facilities.


Toronto public health also indicates that wait times are short especially at the following locations:

• Melody Public School
• North Kipling Community Centre
• Masaryck-Cowan Community Recreation Centre
• East York Civic Centre

Priority groups include:

• People under 65 – that includes adults and children down to six months of age – with chronic conditions; *
• Pregnant women;
• Healthy children 6 months to under five years of age;
• People living in remote or isolated communities;
• Health care workers; and
• Household contacts and care providers of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines. These include parents, grandparents and other care providers of infants under six months old.

• First responders (police and firefighters);
• Frontline institutional correctional workers; and
• Adults 65 years and older who reside in institutions.

*Chronic Health conditions as defined by the Ministry of Health are:

People with the following chronic conditions are more at risk of developing complications from H1N1 infection if they do get sick :

• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Asthma and chronic lung disease
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Serious obesity
• Diseases or treatments that affect the immune systems such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, organ transplants
• Blood disorders
• Neurological disorders
• Medical conditions where people have difficulty swallowing or are at risk of choking
• Children and adolescents’ medical conditions treated for long periods with acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin®).

Fear of the Flu Vaccine and Wanting More

This is a great article from Dr. Perri Klass in the N.Y. Times. It looks at the duality of the current thought track in society….to quote the article and what  she indicates what she has been hearing sounds something like this _ “Oh, my God, our doctor doesn’t have it! Can you get me a dose?” And with the other half, it is something like, “Oh, my God, that brand-new vaccine — do you really think it’s safe?”

Vaccine campaigns have been successfully run and delivered by public health officials in the past and she sites both smallpox in 1947 as well as the polio vaccine trials of the 1050’s where parents volunteered to take the experimental vaccine or a placebo.

As a pediatrician she acts as both doctor and counselor, delivering the vaccine to parents who are genuinely concerned about the H1N1 virus while  trying to win over those parents who are afraid of the vaccine itself.

See the complete story here.

Dr. Perri Klass’s website can be found here: www.perriklass.com

Did you get the H1N1 shot? How long before you are protected?

Officials have indicated it can take 8 to 10 days to develop full immunity once you have had the H1N1 vaccine.

Children under 10 years old and more than 6 months old require a second vaccination 21 days after the first. Then you have to wait 8 to 10 days after that for them to be fully immune.

It is important to stay vigilant and still take precutions since the regular flu virus is now starting to spread as well.

• Wash hands with soap and water (for minimum of 20 seconds) or, if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand cleanser (like Purell® or other brand) after each contact with an  influenza patient or with objects in the area where the patient is located. Cleaning your hands is the single best preventive measure for everyone in the household.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth  without first washing your hands . Wash hands before and after using the bathroom.
• Laundry can be washed in a standard  washing machine with warm or cold water and detergent. It is not necessary to separate soiled linen and laundry used by a patient with influenza from other household laundry. Do not grasp the laundry close to your body or face, in order to avoid contamination. Wash hands with soap and water after handling soiled laundry.
• Clean counters, surfaces and other areas in the home regularly using everyday cleaning products. (Influenza viruses can live on  surfaces up to 8 hours.)

Symptoms of the regular flu are similar to those of H1N1.

• runny nose
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• aches and pain
• headache
• nausea and vomiting – more in H1N1 than the seasonal flu

Gaining Clarity with the H1N1 Message

A great post here from SimplyRead Communications highlighting Canada’s experience with rolling out the vaccines and how most of the message has been expressed clearly in plain language but the difficulty in interpreting what is being said comes in how often the message changes.

The emphasis on critically assessing the information in order to make some important decisions.

Some clarity in the fog of H1N1 info

Canadian Public Health Issues Travel Guidence for H1N1

A new set of guidelines has been released by the federal government as part of a nationwide effort to reduce the spread of H1N1 its current second wave. This release is published by the Public Health Agency of Canada to provide guidance for transportation operators and crew onboard airplanes, trains, ferries and buses.

The complete release can be found here.

An excerpt from the Guidance is as follows:
MANAGEMENT OF PASSENGERS AND CREW WITH ILI(Influenza-like-illness)

“It is recommended that passengers and crew with ILI (Influenza-like-illness) should be separated from other passengers and crew as much as possible, preferably by at least 2 meters, without compromising safety. Ideally, persons experiencing symptoms of ILI would be isolated or grouped together (if multiple persons with ILI) in a separate cabin with a dedicated washroom until they are symptom-free, feeling well and able to fully participate in their regular activities or disembarked, whichever comes first. The number of crew interacting with the ill person(s) should be minimized to the extent possible. It is recommended that persons with ILI should be asked to wear a facial or surgical mask, if available, to help protect others. The crew can encourage ill persons to practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Isolated persons should be monitored and, if necessary, permitted to disembark at the next scheduled stop unless medical evacuation is required sooner and is feasible.

“International Conveyances – The Quarantine Act requires that the operator of any airplane, train, ferry or bus, used in the business of carrying people or cargo, report to the appropriate authority any person, cargo or thing on board the conveyance that could cause the spread of a communicable disease, including H1N1, as listed in the Quarantine Act. This should be done as soon as possible, either before the conveyance arrives in, or departs from, Canada. The authority will notify a Quarantine Officer.”

York Region to open H1N1 flu vaccination clinic on Wednesday

York Region to begin H1N1 vaccination clinics on Wednesday. Oct. 28, 2009.

Clinics will be held at the Vellore Village Community Centre in the City of Vaughan and the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex in the Town of Newmarket.

As with various other clinics throughout the province the H1N1 vaccine will first be offered to individuals who most need it and then offered to others that will also benefit from it.

Clinic Locations

Vellore Village Community Centre
1 Villa Royale Avenue, Vaughan- MAP

Monday to Friday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Ray Twinney Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket – MAP

Monday to Friday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.