Ontario's top medical officer of health says there will be enough H1N1 vaccine for all residents who need and want to be vaccinated; however, it's important for those who are most vulnerable to get immunized first.

"I would ask people who are not in these priority groups to be patient and let those at highest risk who need to be immunized first get ahead of them. In time, we will have enough vaccine to immunize everyone and anyone who needs it," said Dr. Arlene King.

In Ottawa, school-aged children who showed up to get the vaccine on Thursday weren't being turned away, even though they don't fall within the five priority groups.

"What we're seeing is that everyone who wants the vaccine, wants it now," said Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa's chief medical officer of health.

Although he said it's important that high-risk groups get vaccinated first, anyone who wants the vaccine won't be refused.

"We've asked the community to respect the priority list; we're not going to be enforcing it," said Levy.

Flu clinics swamped

Flu clinics across the region were inundated once again with long lineups of people waiting to get immunized on Thursday. In some cases, people were being turned away even before the clinics opened.

At the Walter Baker Sports Centre in Barrhaven there were no lines at midday. That's because people lined up to get tickets for the vaccine at 7:30 a.m.

Once residents get a ticket, they are guaranteed to get the vaccine when the clinics open. If you have a ticket, you are able to leave and return later in the day. On Friday, the city will change to a wristband system.

By 11 a.m., all 1,800 tickets at the Walter Baker Sports Centre were gone. People were being turned away, even before the clinic opened at 2:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, residents in Gatineau started lining up for the vaccine at 3:30 a.m. at Les Promenades de l'Outaouais shopping centre.

Health officials there expect to vaccinate about 1,000 people on Thursday, which is a 40 per cent increase from the day before. The number of vaccinations in the Outaouais is expected to increase dramatically in the coming weeks.

Outside the national capital region, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit held its first H1N1 flu clinic in Brockville on Thursday. Demand there was so high, the fire department was forced to take action after the Brockville Memorial Centre was filled overcapacity.

Doctors to administer vaccine

There could soon be some relief for flu clinics now that doctors and primary health care workers will be able to administer the H1N1 vaccine in their offices.

Any physician who wants to administer the vaccine in Ottawa must apply online and agree to various terms, including compiling weekly data reports that will be submitted to Ottawa Public Health every Monday. The terms are part of a provincial directive for all public health units.

Ottawa's associate medical officer of health said she expects there will be a large number of doctors who will take up the offer.

However, it won't happen immediately. Dr. Nadine Sicard said it will likely take up to three business days for the city to process applications.

Once doctors get approval, they are being advised to continue giving preference to priority groups until more of the vaccine is available.

Those groups are:

  • People with chronic medical conditions between six months and 65 years old (such as people with heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, asthma and chronic lung disease, liver disease, blood disorders, severe obesity, neurological disorders and people with suppressed immune systems, including those taking cancer drugs or people with HIV)
  • Pregnant women;
  • Healthy children between six months and five years old;
  • Health care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health care services;
  • Household contacts and care providers of high-risk people who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines.

Meanwhile, the director of Outaouais' health services says he does not support administering the vaccine in family health clinics.

Dr. Guy Morissette said it wouldn't be efficient to rely on family doctors to administer the vaccine because there are just too many people.

In recent weeks, residents across Ontario have been exhibiting flu-like symptoms, suggesting swine flu is making a comeback.

"Clearly, the second wave of the H1N1 flu pandemic is here," said King.

"We're already at the same level in terms of our flu activity that we had actually during the peak that we experienced in the spring."

Hospitals restrict visitors

Hospitals in the capital are now taking preventative measures to stop the spread of swine flu.

The Queensway-Carleton Hospital will be setting up an additional emergency room to accommodate anyone with flu-like symptoms.

The hospital is also restricting people in its emergency department, which will be limited to patients only.

Hospital officials say people who are accompanying frail or elderly patients will still be allowed to wait in the emergency department. However, anyone else who brings a patient to the hospital is being directed to the hospital's cafeteria.

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario started limiting the number of visitors to its emergency department on Tuesday, where only one parent is allowed to accompany a sick child.

Other visitors to the hospital are also being restricted. Only two parents or guardians are allowed to visit sick children staying at the hospital. No other relatives, including siblings, or friends are allowed to visit patients.

Anyone 16 years or older who needs urgent care and doesn't have any underlying problems is also asked to avoid CHEO and visit an emergency room at another hospital.