Rush for vaccine puts high-risk groups at risk: experts
Rush for vaccine puts high-risk groups at risk: experts "In an editorial in today's Globe and Mail, infectious disease experts Drs. Richard Schabas and Neil Rau say that while the federal government is boasting that there is enough vaccine for everyone, "this is a tad disingenuous." he said "The vaccine is arriving in weekly aliquots of two million to three million doses. We don't actually have enough vaccine to immunize everyone right now," they write.
And, they note, timing is of the essence for those most at risk of serious complications of swine flu.Local flu outbreaks typically peak within four or five weeks and then drop off rapidly. And in some areas of the country, outbreaks might already be beginning to peak.
"The worst of H1N1 will have passed from some areas of Canada -- Southern Ontario and the lower mainland of British Columbia, at least -- before healthy people can even roll up their sleeves," they write.
The fact that the vaccine takes about 10 days to fully protect from infection will extend the lag time even further, says Rau. In comments made to CTV's Canada AM Wednesday, he said the most vulnerable will probably be okay if they can get the vaccine within the next week. But two weeks from now may be too late for them."
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