News
Health Unit shifts gears to tackle seasonal flu
SIMCOE, ON, DEC. 4, 2009 – With successful pandemic H1N1 flu vaccination clinics under its belt, the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is now shifting gears to tackle the seasonal flu.
“We still have a couple of pandemic H1N1 flu clinics available,” said Manager of Public Health Karen Boughner, “but we are now moving to tackle the traditional seasonal flu as well. Most of our future clinics will provide seasonal flu vaccinations only.”
Boughner noted that people can also contact their family doctors, many of whom will continue to offer both seasonal and pandemic H1N1 vaccinations to their patients.
To date, the Health Unit has been targeting the pandemic H1N1 flu virus with its mass immunization clinics because that strain has been dominant this year. “This is a different flu season, so we will now be rolling out the next phase of the provincial strategy, targeting the seasonal flu,” Boughner explained. “We want to make sure our population is inoculated against both viruses.”
So far, the Health Unit has distributed approximately 30,000 doses of pandemic H1N1 vaccine locally. The Health Unit administered 11,400 of those doses directly at its clinics and distributed the rest to doctors, hospitals and long-term-care homes.
Clinics in Caledonia Dec. 5 and Langton on Dec. 12 will offer both the pandemic H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations, but the remaining clinics being held from Dec. 8 to 16 in Waterford, Port Dover, Cayuga, Dunnville and Hagersville will offer seasonal flu shots only. The schedule is as follows:
Dec. 5, Caledonia Lions Hall, 100 Haddington St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., pandemic H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations available.
Dec. 8, Waterford District High School, 227 Main St. S., 4 to 8 p.m., seasonal flu vaccination only.
Dec. 9, Port Dover Composite School, 713 St. George St., 4 to 8 p.m., seasonal flu vaccination only.
Dec. 10, Cayuga Kinsmen Hall, 15 Thorburn St., 4 to 8 p.m., seasonal flu vaccination only.
Dec. 12, Langton Community Center, 28 Albert St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., pandemic H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations available.
Dec. 15, Dunnville Secondary School, 110 Helena St., 4 to 8 p.m., seasonal flu vaccination only.
Dec. 16, Hagersville Secondary School, 70 Parkview Rd., 4 to 8 p.m., seasonal flu vaccination only.
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Media contact:
Robert Roth,
Communications Coordinator,
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit,
519-426-6170 Ext. 3259 or 905-318-6623 Ext. 3259