H1N1 vaccinations in Ottawa start Monday

Pregnant women, children under five, and health-careworkers will be able to get the swine flu vaccine at City of Ottawa clinics starting Monday.

The city is making the vaccine available to priority groups over the next week or two, it announced Wednesday, the same day Health Canada approved the vaccine.

Others will not be able to get the vaccine until after that seven- to 14-day period, since the initial supply of the vaccine from the province will be limited, the city said. The city expects 75,000 doses of vaccine within a week but doesn't know when the next shipment will arrive.

The initial supply of the vaccine will include an adjuvant, an additive used to boost the vaccine's effectiveness.

Abatch of vaccine without the adjuvant will be available to women in November due toconcerns that little research has been done on the effect of the adjuvant on pregnant women.

Pregnant women advised to vaccinate now

However, Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa's chief medical officer, said vaccine with the adjuvant has been widely tested in other countries without any known adverse side-effects.

"If a loved one of mine was pregnant, I'd be recommending that they avail themselves of the vaccine now," he said.

He added that he hopes more people than usual will get the vaccine up to 80 or 90 per cent. However, the city expects about 40 per cent of the population to get the vaccine, based on surveys and previous experience.

Levy confirmed eight Ottawa schools reported 10 per cent or more of their students absent Wednesday, but hesaid thiswasn't necessarily because of respiratory symptoms.

"And if it is, it doesn't mean that there's necessarily a pandemic cluster within those schools," he cautioned.

He said it's not clear whether a second wave of swine flu has hit Ottawa, and it likely won't be until several days or weeks after that wave has started.

Five city vaccination clinics will be open Oct. 26 to Nov. 27, along with a number of roving sites that will be open on specific days.