Quebec's swine flu vaccine free to all

More than 11 million doses of swine flu vaccine will be available in Quebec, free to any resident who wants it, provincial Health Minister Yves Bolduc said Thursday.
Bolduc made the comments in Winnipeg, where the federal and provincial health ministers were meeting to prepare a strategy to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus.

Meanwhile, public health authorities in Quebec said the province could shelve its traditional fall influenza vaccination campaign to focus on preventing swine flu.

"We know there will be a bit of confusion," said chief public health officer Dr. Alain Poirier.

"We are now struggling with the actual way of introducing it this fall.... One option is to cancel it completely," said Poirier.

Poirier said a final decision should be made within 10 days.

But, the province's plan to distribute the H1N1 vaccine is ready.

Once it is launched, Poirier said the vaccination campaign should be completed within 30 days, with more than 200,000 people receiving the vaccination daily.

Quebec's vaccination plan will give priority to:

Adults under 65 suffering from chronic illnesses.
Pregnant women.
Children between six months and five years of age.
Health-care workers.
People living in remote regions.
Those living with at-risk people who cannot be vaccinated (i.e., children under six months, and those with compromised immune systems).

Poirier said initial trial results show the vaccine — produced by GlaxoSmithKline — is effective after a single dose.

He rejected concerns that officials have been overly alarmist about the dangers of swine flu.

"It is a good thing that it is not as bad as we had planned for," said Poirier. "But, we've had 27 deaths in Quebec, including two young ladies who were pregnant."

"I think we have to do what we're doing."

Poirier said there are no plans to force health-care workers to be vaccinated. But he said if there is an outbreak, at-risk workers who refuse could be forced to take an unpaid leave of absence