As critics continue to accuse the provincial government of bungling the release of the H1N1 vaccine so far, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is optimistic this week’s rollout will be better than the chaotic scenes at immunization centres last week when clinics were overwhelmed by massive crowds.
"I think by any standard we're making progress now," he said.
"There were some real successes last week, there were some places where we didn't do as good a job as should have been done. I think [public health officials] have drawn from those lessons, taken advantage of best practises. We now have a system in place which is better organized, which is more efficient."
The province is now considering the option of setting up vaccination clinics in schools and workplaces to deal with the high demand for flu shots. Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews said the goal is to inoculate 2.2 million people by week’s end.
McGuinty said health officials have made important changes in order to shorten wait times, including hiring retired nurses to help and establishing 100 clinics, up from last week’s 50. Ten immunization centres are open in Toronto this week. Click here for times and locations.
This week clinics across Ontario are open to people in high-priority groups only.
The province has also opened 20 flu assessment centres in an effort to ease the burden on hospital emergency rooms and it may open an additional six. People with flu symptoms can go to these clinics to find out if they need further medical
attention.
So far, there are no plans for flu assessment centres in Toronto. The city’s
public health unit is expected to announce whether it will open any in the coming days.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath scolded the government for its lack of preparation and poor communication that led to long lines and priority given to some private clinics.
"We've all watched the lineups, we've all watched the frustration, we've all watched the anger, we've all watched the miscommunication as families didn't know what to do," she said. "That was this government's responsibility, that was this government's obligation to make sure this vaccine was rolled out in a way that was thoughtful, that was timely, a way that everybody understood what was happening. That didn't happen."
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak thinks the government should go further, opening 24-hour clinics.