Shot

Pierced for herd immunity

I wait quinze minutes

in the salle de surveillance.

That's what my doctor called it: "The Province is out to create 'herd immunity.' That's the best way to keep the virus from spreading. I'd get the shot if I were you." And so, yesterday, we did.

That's the symbol from the Quebec H1N1 info website - good logo, I thought.

In Montreal, large H1N1 immunization clinics have been set up in easy-to-get-to, well-known locations, like the Palais de Congres convention center, and recently opened up to the general public (as opposed to the high risk groups who have been being vaccinated in recent weeks.) We had to be in Westmount early yesterday morning, so we decided to try to the clinic in Place Alexis Nihon, a mall right next to the Forum, where the Canadiens used to play hockey. The clinic was on the level of the metro station that is located right beneath the building, and clear signs pointed us in the right direction. Various "rooms" had been taken over by the provincial health authorites, with a carefully-thought-out crowd-flow plan. We`d heard stories of long waits in the earlier days, but at 8:45 am the clinic had been open since 8:00, and there was no line at all.

A volunteer gave us a number with an appointment time but waved us ahead into the first area, saying with a smile that there would be no wait. This first room had two rows of computers set up on tables, maybe ten in all. The man who processed us asked for our provincial health cards, verified our addresses and birthdates, and printed out a form with several questions on it - in our case, the questions were in English. In the next area, a high counter held pencils and we filled out the five questions on the form; I said I wasn`t pregnant, didn`t have allergies to eggs, had never had a reaction to a flu shot before. We then had a brief interview with another person, who reiterated the questions, making sure we had understood - probably a good precaution in this place of so many different languages. After that we got down to business and were sent to stations for the shot itself, where friendly nurses in ordinary clothing talked to us while swabbing our arms, told us to relax the muscle as much as possible, gave the shot, and then explained our arms might be sore for a few days. Finally she printed and initialed a piece of paper that held our names, birthdates, and health ID numbers, verifying that we`d received a full dose of a particular vaccine on such-and-such a date -- ìn case you`re traveling and this is required,`she said. Then we were waved into the salle de surveillance, where the newly-vaccinated were asked to sit for fifteen minutes prior to leaving - detained by the honor system only, most of us did wait the required time.

The whole thing took no more than half an hour, and impressed me, both by its low-key, non-clinical, reassuring ambience, and by the fact that actually the province was attaining a record of every single person who had been vaccinated that could be used in an epidemiological study, if necessary. The nurse told me that school groups were being bussed into these centers during the day; ``that`s when it gets busy and more difficult,`she said, `because the little kids tend to be scared and you have to spend more time reassuring them.`` In general, though, there`s been no hysteria here at all, and I think the way the clinics have been handled has a lot to do with that. People in the higher risk groups were able to receive shots several weeks earlier, but Canadians have been assured that there is enough vaccine for everyone who wants it.

Today my arm was a bit sore, but not as much as for a tetanus shot, and I was definitely more tired than usual, but as the day has gone on I`ve felt less and less effect. Apparently immunity takes about two weeks to develop, so I`ll keep on washing my hands, which I guess I do out of habit anyway...

I`m curious how many of you have gotten a shot, and what it`s been like where you are.

Comments

[Lorianne]

Vaccines have been scarce to nonexistent here. KSC just recently received enough vaccines for students who are high-risk, but since there's not enough for everyone, official "encouragements" to get vaccinated have been mitigated by the caveat "once we receive more vaccines." So it's kind of strange to get frequent "updates" about something we can't really do anything about, with each update stressing how important it is to get a vaccine that isn't yet available to the general public.

[mare]

I had my flu shot last week. I went to Montreal's Olympic Stadium, not because it was the nearest location, but because it was used as a location for big bureaucratic "happenings" in Denys Arcand's Oscar winning film "The Barbarian Invasions".

The only bureaucracy however was that there were provisions for huge crowds but in reality there were more staff than clients. We had to walk a lot from section to section, and we had to fill out the forms on a few tables under supervision of a nurse. That was the only time we had to wait, not because there was a line-up, but until there were enough people to fill the tables. All in all it took only 35 minutes and was very well organised. I can only imagine what the whole operation did cost. There were lots of staff, and the vaccine itself isn't cheap either. I'm sure the stock prices of vaccine makers and Purell will soar.

[maria]

Here in Marin (in Northern California), vaccines have been scarce and seriously rationed -- and non-existent lately for the regular flu. It's much like Lorianne described, with each urgent update creating only more panic among certain groups of people. It's all very odd.

[Pat Temiz]

Here in Turkey the country would seem to be in the grip of swine 'flu hysteria if the newspapers are to be believed. We live in a small village 15km from the nearest town where the health workers have all been vaccinated but, as far as I am aware, there are no plans to vaccinate anyone else. The government closed all schools for a day towards the end of last month for 'special cleansing'. When you live in a rural area like this it feels as though you are 'removed' from such epidemics which concern city dwellers. But I am going to spend next week in crowded Istanbul, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

[ej]

Here in rural BC I haven't heard of many people getting the flu or either flu shot. But if lots of people get sick I imagine a sense of urgency might develop. No shot for me. I will just stay home.

[laurie]

amazing. i have had no flu shot this year--not for h1n1 nor the regular flu. i used to get a flu shot each year at work, where we held a health fair every november. there were stations throughout our conference center for all kinds of things--information on insurance plans, or free cholesterol screening, or weight-loss counselors, or whatever. there were long tables with free stuff--apples, and tote bags, and slippery piles of brochures.

i'd get a flu shot and it went pretty much the way you described it.

they canceled the health fair a few years ago when our company was sold, but continued the flu shots because it helped with employee absenteeism.

this year they canceled the flu shot, too, for lack of availability.

the h1n1 vaccine is also unavailable.

so i've been sick for the last week. worked every day but one, though.

[margaret]

I got an H1N1 jab yesterday, rather unexpectedly. I was on a routine visit to my private physician. When asked whether I needed the seasonal flu shot I said I'd already had it at the State House clinic. (My arm down to the hand was very sore for 3 days after and I was quite sick for at least that long--never before had so strong a reaction to the regular flu shot.)

I asked when H1N1 would be available to the general population and was told "You can have one now!" When I added I wasn't in a high-risk category I was told it didn't matter. Within the next week or so they'll be available to all their patients who want one.

The nurse who jabbed me was among the first to get one, along with other health workers. "It really works!" she says. She'd been continously exposed (and well protected) while nursing her teenaged daughter through days and weeks of severe H1N1.

Earlier in autumn seasonal flu shot clinics were being cancelled right and left in our state due to very high demand and shortage of vaccine. But now the clinics are back on.

As for my reaction to H1N1--I can't tell I had anything done. No sore arm, absolutely no after-effects. Making it quite my favourite flu shot of the year! (And for whatever reason--fear-mongering, I suppose--it seems to be the one that some people are suspicious about...)

Swine flu incidence has decreased in my state. As of the weekend, we've had 9 deaths and all persons had underlying health complications.