Residents across the region who are sick with the flu and don't have a family doctor or can't get an appointment to see one, are now able to get examined at several flu centres operating at various locations in eastern Ontario and west Quebec.

The centres in Ottawa are running out of community health clinics, which opened their doors for the first time on Wednesday. Patients will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.

The flu centres will only examine patients who are exhibiting flu-like symptoms. The H1N1 vaccine will not be offered at those locations.

"The public should know there's a good reason for that. Because we don't want people who are healthy coming for the vaccine to mix with people who have flu symptoms," said Jack McCarthy, executive director of the Somerset West Community Health Centre.

Residents who are sick with the flu can seek non-urgent medical attention at the following locations:

  • Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, 221 Nelson St.
  • Somerset West Community Health Centre, 55 Eccles St.
  • Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St.
  • Dempsey Community Health Centre, 1895 Russell Rd.
  • Carlington Community Health Centre, 900 Merivale Rd.
  • Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre, 1365 Richmond Rd.

By midday, only 12 people attended the Somerset West flu centre to be assessed for flu-like symptoms. By mid-afternoon, 55 people were seen for flu-like symptoms in Sandy Hill. Many of those patients told health care workers they would have otherwise gone to an emergency room to see a doctor.

Public health officials hope the flu centres will help alleviate pressure on emergency departments, which have been bombarded with an influx of patients since the second wave of swine flu.

Health agencies serving First Nations, Inuit and Metis populations in Ottawa will also provide flu assessments for their target groups.

Flu assessment centres are also available in the Outaouais, Smiths Falls, Lanark, Kingston, Sharbot Lake and Verona. Residents are advised to check their local health unit's website for exact locations.

Symptoms of swine flu include:

  • fever
  • cough
  • muscle aches
  • fatigue
  • severe headache
  • sore throat
  • lack of appetite

More severe indicators include:

  • shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • chest pain
  • bluish or grey skin
  • bloody or coloured mucous
  • sudden dizziness or confusion
  • severe or persistent vomiting
  • high fever for more than three days
  • low blood pressure

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee