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On Monday (Oct. 26), British Columbians were to receive the first of the H1N1 influenza vaccine, although Whistlerites and Pembertonians were left with their sleeves rolled up and no vaccine available to them.
Phones at the medical clinics in Whistler were ringing steadily on Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 27) as residents were trying to determine when and where they could receive the H1N1 vaccine.
After some confusion stemming from inaccurate information printed on various websites, The Question was able to obtain a confirmed schedule for the free vaccine clinics.
The first opportunity Whistler residents will have to receive the free H1N1 vaccine will be Wednesday (Nov. 4) at Myrtle Philip Community School, more than a full week after high-risk residents of Vancouver received theirs, although some seniors were scheduled for a two-hour clinic the Whistler Health Care Centre on Wednesday (Oct. 28).
The H1N1 vaccine clinic will be run by Vancouver Coastal Health, and will be available only to those in the first high-risk category, namely residents who have a pre-existing respiratory condition, pregnant women, and First Nations members. The Nov. 4 drop-in clinic will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will also run on Thursday (Nov. 5) from 1 to 5 p.m.
On Thursday (Nov. 12), Whistler residents in the second priority category, namely children from six months to five years of age and health care workers, will be vaccinated. Everyone else will be vaccinated the following week.
High-risk residents of Pemberton will be able to receive the H1N1 vaccine free at a drop-in clinic on Friday, Nov. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the new community centre, and Monday, Nov. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Officials at Vancouver Coastal Health could not be reached for comment on the reason behind the delayed vaccination schedule for Whistler and Pemberton.
There have only been three registered cases of the H1N1 virus in both communities since April, one of which was in Whistler and two of which were in Pemberton, said Dr. Paul Martiquet, the medical health officer for the Sea to Sky region. He said that all three cases were deemed to be “mild” and that no hospitalization was required.
Martiquet also said that there have been another possible 11 cases in Whistler and one in Pemberton, but those cases were difficult to confirm because lab tests weren’t done.
“The vast number of cases we are seeing are mild,” he said. “They have a fever, a cough, and after a few days feel better.”
Absences in schools because of the flu have not been greater than 10 per cent, and Martiquet said that he and other officials “are monitoring that situation.”
Robyn Edgar, administrative assistant at Myrtle Philip School, said in an email to The Question on Tuesday that there had been five confirmed cases of H1N1 at the school. “The students are at home and there haven’t been any more cases reported,” she wrote.
Martiquet was cautious about attributing the active, healthy lifestyle that most Whistlerites and Pembertonians lead to the low number of incidents in the two communities.
“I definitely think that the healthier people are the less likely they are to get the flu,” he said, quickly warning that “there are young, healthy, active Whistler-like people who are dying (from the virus).”
Whistler and Pemberton, and British Columbia in general, are currently in the second wave of the pandemic, and since Martiquet and other officials believe it’s “a crap shoot” as to when the current wave will end, he is urging residents of both communities to get the vaccine, which is free for everyone.
“The best thing people can do is to be vaccinated as well as practice good respiratory hygiene,” he said.
Those who do exhibit severe symptoms, such as a shortness of breath in combination with a fever and a cough, are being advised to stay at home and phone their family doctor, even if it is after hours.
“The doctors are being paid to do over-the-phone consultations,” Martiquet said. “The doctor makes the decision if they need to go (to Emergency)… and if so, then they are being advised to come in at the end of the day and not when the waiting room is crowded.”
For more information on H1N1 or to view further clinic dates, visit www.vch.ca.
