By Amelia Yiu
A flu shot might not be the most pleasant experience, but that didn’t stop people from lining up to get one at Immaculata high school.
The clinic is one of a series that will be held in December to encourage Centretown residents to get their free flu shot.
Marie-France LeBlanc is doing just that. She says she can remember what it’s like to get the flu.
“You feel like a truck hit you,” she says. “It’s awful.”
That was a few years ago, but her memory remains clear.
With her hand covering the needle prick, she says she’s thankful for the clinics because they make it easier for her to obtain the vaccine.
And that’s exactly what the clinics are intended for, says Dr. Edward Ellis, associate medical officer of health for the regional health department.
“The goal is to vaccinate at least 90 per cent of high-risk people and 60 per cent of the rest of the population,” he says.
Ellis says people in the high-risk category for the flu are people with chronic medical conditions and seniors, particularly those living in homes where many people are in close contact.
In Canada, as many as 2,000 people die every year because of complications from the flu, most of them in the high-risk category.
In the last three years, Ottawa has seen a 25-per-cent increase in the number of flu cases, leading to overcrowded doctors’ offices and hospitals.
As a result, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton decided to buy enough vaccine to prevent this problem.
Ellis says he believes the program will be successful.
“They did the same thing last year in Edmonton and they were able to reduce overcrowding significantly,” says Ellis.
It may work, but some Centretown residents say it’s putting money in the wrong place.
“It’s a cop-out,” says John Soame. “If we didn’t have a problem with our health-care system in the first place, we wouldn’t have to protect from overcrowding.”
Still, Soame is willing to get the free flu shot. He’s a caretaker at a school and says the flu shot is absolutely necessary for him to stay healthy.
Flu season can last up to 12 weeks in the winter, so the sooner a person is vaccinated the greater the chance of fighting the bug.
A shot is 90-per-cent effective in preventing the flu.
Clinics are being held at the Adult high school, Centretown Community Health Centre, Somerset West Community Health Centre, regional headquarters and the YMCA.