Ottawa will get more flu vaccine shipments this week, but that is expected to slow down as Ontario's health minister warned the province will receive fewer vaccines than it originally expected.

Deb Matthews says the provincial government expected to receive about one million doses of the vaccine from the federal government but that number has been drastically reduced to about 170,000.

Isra Levy, Ottawa's top medical officer of health, adds he expects to receive a new shipment of the H1N1 vaccine on Saturday, easing fears that the capital might run out of supply by the end of the week.

The city's next shipment is expected to include about 49,500 individual doses - but 14,000 of that will go to front-line health care workers. So far, Ottawa Public Health has received more vaccine than it originally requested.

Fewer doses next week

However, shipments are expected to slow next week when the vaccine's supplier GlaxoSmithKline halts production to shift its focus on creating a non-adjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women.

Federal health officials warn there will likely be temporary shortages of the vaccine as a result.

The city's next shipment is expected to include about 49,500 individual doses.

So far, the federal government has been receiving about 2 million doses per week but next week that number will be reduced to about 400,000 individual doses to be distributed to the country's provinces and territories.

"Next week, there will be less than we were hoping for," said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief medical officer of health.

New wristband system

Meanwhile, the city has moved from a ticket-system that was being used earlier this week. Instead, residents will be issued numbered wristbands.

Dr. Levy said the city decided to adopt the new system because some residents were abusing the ticket system, picking up several numbers for family members who are not in high-risk categories.

At a news conference earlier Friday, city officials said they would allow residents to pick up wristbands on behalf of themselves and also immediate family members.

However, the number must be visible on each person's wrist and if the person misses their number being called, they will have to show up the next day.

People lined up for the vaccine at the Kanata Recreation Centre as early as 5 a.m. on Friday, yet were not issued wristbands until noon.

Lineups mount in outlying areas

Clinics in Rockland and neighbouring areas expect to run out of the 24,000 doses given to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit after this weekend.

Hasting and Prince Edward Counties -- as well as Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington -- will also exhaust their supply this weekend.

Leeds-Grenville and Lanark expect to have vaccine until Nov. 5.

The Renfrew County health unit says with stronger enforcement of the priority list, current doses can last up to two weeks.

High-risk groups retain priority

People in designated "priority" groups will be the only ones vaccinated at least through next week.

"To people not in the priority groups, please be patient and await the sequencing," Dr. Arlene King told a Toronto news conference on Friday, warning those who show up who are not in a priority group will not receive a vaccine.

These groups include:

  • people with chronic medical conditions (eg., asthma, diabetes) under the age of 65
  • healthy children from six months to five years old
  • care providers and household contacts of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized
  • health care workers
  • people living in remote areas
  • pregnant women

Women who are more than 20 weeks pregnant can use the regular adjuvanted vaccine, which combines the active ingredient with an organic booster.

With files from CTV.ca and The Canadian Press