The number of people sick with the H1N1 flu is still on the rise. Provincial health officials believe one in ten people in BC has already been infected with the swine flu virus, and the second wave of the flu hasn't even peaked yet.
There are long lines again at flu shots clinics. Some people waited for more than 2 or 3 hours at Uvic's MacKinnon Gym to see a nurse at the mass-immunization clinic. But by next week the situation could be much worse. People who are in the high risk groups, who don't get their shot this week, may be out of luck. Some of the island's 33 H1N1 flu shot clinics may close next Monday. The reason: a vaccine shortage. Just 13,000 shots will be available on Vancouver Island next week.
The people who are eligible to be vaccinated this week include children age 6 months to 5 years, people who care for babies and children with comprimized immune systems and some frontline health care workers.
More than 75 paramedics have been immunized against H1N1 in Victoria since Monday, but they too may be affected by the vaccine shortage, and run out of doses.
BC's top doctor says the second wave of H1N1 flu has not yet peaked on Vancouver Island. Dr. Perry Kendall hopes to see numbers plateau in "a week or two from now". Half of the province's severe cases involving hospitalization happed in just the last week. There have been three new deaths.
Despite the rush for the H1N1 vaccine, and the daily updates from health officials, Dr. Kendall puts the state of the pandemic in perspective. He says seasonal flu kills 200-800 people annually, but based on current statistics, he says H1N1 may only cause around 50 deaths in BC.
