Rural Albertans waiting longer for H1N1 shot

People in Calgary and Edmonton might be grumbling about waiting in long lines for the swine flu shot, but in some rural communities residents won't receive the vaccine for days and might just have only one chance to get vaccinated.

Residents of Rocky Mountain House, west of Red Deer, will have to wait for twoweeks longer than people in Calgary and Edmontonfor a chance to get vaccinated against pandemic H1N1.

"I listen to people whining about the lineups. We in Rocky would like to see a lineup," Don Andersonsaid Tuesday. "The stuff has been released in the major cities and some of the outlying areas. We won't see the first clinic in Rocky until Nov. 9.

"I just think that is totally unacceptable."

Okotoks was one Alberta town that saw health officials open a clinic on Monday, the same day as in Calgary and Edmonton.

Lines at the town's Centennial Arena snaked around the building. In one day, nurses estimated they delivered more than 1,000 inoculations against the strain of H1N1 influenza A virus causing the current swine flu pandemic.

Flu shot clinics are scheduled a few days a week at the arena until at least Dec. 9.

But residents of Black Diamond or Turner Valley, just west of Okotoks, will have to wait until noon on Thursday for an opportunity to get the shot. The clinic at the Flare N Derrick Community Hall will run intermittently until at least Dec. 10.

'We have to look at probably offering a clinic up at the hill to look after these kids.' Lake Louise physician Brian Page

Patrick Phillips, who lives in Black Diamond, wasn't willing to wait and he brought his family of four to Okotoks to get their shots on Monday. Waiting in line, he speculated why the vaccine isn't coming to his hometown until later this week.

"They'll probably pass it off as an issue [of] not having the resources, but I don't see how 15 or 16 kilometres would take four days," he said.

Just one day for ski town

Some smaller centres in Alberta will have to wait days before they receive their supplies of vaccine.

The village of Lake Louise is scheduled to get theshots on only one day and the Nov. 6 clinic will only be open for six hours.

"That's opening day at the ski hill," said local doctor Dr. Brian Page. "So we have 600 ski hill employees, and they all are going to be up at the ski hill on Nov. 6. Obviously, we have to look at another date, probably offering a clinic up at the hill to look after these kids,"

Red Deer, a city of nearly 90,000, has only nine days set aside for clinics, starting Thursday.

Barrhead, northwest of Edmonton, won't see a clinic until Nov. 2.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Ron Liepert announced that Alberta is adding 11 new clinics across the province within the next couple of days to help meet the high demand for swine flu vaccinations. Of the 11 new clinics, an extra one will be set up in Calgary. He didn't say where the other clinics would be located.

Health officials are encouraging those at greater risk to get the shot early. But any Albertan over six months of age can get the vaccine.

More details about swine flu clinics in rural areas and available on Alberta Health Service's website.