By David F. Rooney
Interior Health’s H1N1 immunization clinics in the first week of November are “for people in high-risk groups only,” a spokeswoman for Interior Health said today.
Laannea Parfitt was responding to a question prompted by an observation to The Revelstoke Current from local resident Melanie Melnyk.
“I’ve been watching all the news on TV and reading everything in the papers about the H1N1 immunization and I see a common thread,” Melnyk said in an e-mail to The Current this morning. “People don’t seem to know when they should go and have their shot. So, I went up to the local Public Health to get a schedule and found a little confusion there as well. I am one that asks questions, but realize many don’t. The schedule they gave me has all the dates and places beginning in November, but doesn’t have the information on it as to whom is to attend at which session.
“I inquired and found out that the first two dates are for the high-risk people and all the other dates are for everyone else. I told them that they could end up having everyone there at the first two dates because of the scare and they said they’d just be turned away if they are not in the high- risk group. One would wonder why that little extra information was not on their schedule they are handing out. I feel bad for people who don’t get around that easily and try to attend one of the first two dates because of lack of information. I noticed that Steven Hui has written that info onto the schedules he is handing out at Pharmasave. Long story short, perhaps some clarification in your paper would be a good idea.”
Parfitt confirmed Melnyk’s observation and identified the high-risk groups as:
- Pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy;
- Persons under age 65 with chronic conditions;
- Children 6 – 59 months of age;
- Household contacts and care providers of infants under 6 months of age;
- Household contacts and care providers of persons who are immunocompromised;
- Persons residing in rural and remote communities; including the Aboriginal population; and
- Health care workers involved in responding to pandemic influenza.
People who do not fall into these categories can go to subsequent clinics for their shots, Parfitt said.
Clinics are scheduled to be held:
Nov. 3: Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic for high risk groups only — 9 am – 4 pm — Community Centre
Nov. 9: Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic for high risk groups only — 9 am – 4 pm — Community Centre
Nov. 12: Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic — 1 pm – 7 pm — United Church
Nov. 16: Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic — 8 am – 2:30 pm — Community Centre
Nov. 18: Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic — 9 am – 4 pm — Community Centre
Nov. 24 : Seasonal flu/H1N1 Immunization Clinic — 1 pm – 7 pm — Community Centre
