H1N1 Flu Vaccine Running Out in Canada
With the number of infected cases due to the H1N1 flu virus surging in Canada, stocks of vaccines have been feared to be slowly depleting.
Alberta, which had already bought 65,000 more flu vaccines at the start of this week alone, expects these will be depleted by end of this same week.
Health Minister Fred Horne said Alberta still needs more vaccines. "We are not sure where that is in the process right now."
Health officials in B.C. admitted the increased anxiety over the rapidly circulating number of infected H1N1 flu virus cases could lead to a shortage of vaccines this year.
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Dr Perry Kendall, B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer, said on Wednesday that demand for the H1N1 flu vaccine had grown high. It was in February 2013 when the province placed an order in anticipation of the 2013 flu season.
"The vaccine supply is not inexhaustible. We have supplies available, but it's conceivable that if demand continues to be high, we will use up all of those 1.4 million doses."
Many pharmacies and clinics have reported stocks are already dwindling out.
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John Tse, vice president of pharmacy for London Drugs, advised individuals to already get their needed stocks as soon as they can because supplies will not be enough to cover for everyone.
"There are still vaccines that are trickling through from a variety of sources that pharmacies can get a hold of, but...we will run out of vaccines," Mr Tse told CBC News.
Blossom Leung, a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada told the Globe and Mail the agency has offered to help co-ordinate with the provinces and territories in securing and sharing additional vaccine. Some jurisdictions, she said, are currently experiencing an increase in demand for immunization.
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