Flu shots to be available in Vancouver before the end of the week, says health authority
This year's flu shot is expected to be better than last year's
Doses of the flu vaccine are being distributed across Vancouver and should be available before the end of the week, says Vancouver Coastal Health.
"Probably by Thursday of this week physicians and pharmacists will be offering the vaccines in their offices," said medical health officer Dr. Meena Dawar.
Dawar said over the course of the flu season, Vancouver will receive 425,000 doses to distribute.
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High-risk institutions like Hospitals and care facilities have already picked up their supply, she said, but most of the doses will go to doctors' offices and pharmacies.
"Approximately 70 per cent is distributed to physicians and pharmacists — they do the vast majority of the immunizing to the general public," said Dawar.
Every year the World Health Organization forecasts which flu strains are likely to infect the northern hemisphere. This year H3N2 is the flu strain that's expected to make most people sick.
"We know the match between what's circulating and what we've got in the vaccine is way better than we had last year, so expect to have good and reasonable protection."
Last year's shot was a poor match for the circulating virus, offering almost no protection.
B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, has said this year's vaccine is better, offering 30 to 50 per cent protection.
With files from Deborah Goble