TORONTO - Ontario residents seeking the H1N1 vaccine were urged Thursday to be patient and let those in high-risk groups go first, as high demand for the vaccine threatened to swamp clinics in Toronto and elsewhere.
The overwhelming demand for shots had thousands of people lining up Thursday at two clinics in Toronto. Overwhelming crowds and the resulting traffic problems even forced road closures near a clinic west of the city.
"There will be enough vaccine in Ontario for everyone who wants and needs a vaccine," Deb Matthews, minister of health and long-term care, told an afternoon news conference.
"But we do need to make sure that those who need the vaccine the most get it first."
Those people include pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions and healthy children six months to five years old.
But with only the two locations operating in Toronto, people turned up as early as 6 a.m. and many decried what they called a lack of organization.
Some people shouted "I can't believe this is Canada," and "This isn't a Third World country," in response to the chaos around them at a clinic in the city's north end.
By early afternoon, both Toronto clinics -- originally intended for health-care workers and high priority groups -- were turning away newcomers but said people already in line would get their shots.
West of Toronto, in Oakville, police closed two roads because of the crush of people seeking H1N1 shots at the Halton Regional Centre.
Matthews rejected suggestions that the province was unprepared for the massive vaccination program, and said it is still up to local officials in each city to determine the best way to administer the vaccines.
"Our public health units have each developed a plan -- we knew this was coming -- and they're rolling out that plan," Matthews said.
"They're ramping up the number of clinics and the hours of the clinics, so we are responding in real time to the higher than anticipated demand."
People wanting the H1N1 vaccine in the northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., aren't waiting in long lineups because that city implemented an appointment system.
The province will look at that system and may ask other cities to adopt it, Matthews said.
"I'm very interested in the Soo practice because I think we are seeing that it may be a best practice, so we're learning as we go," she said.
"That's working smoothly, so there are ways to do it."
Many who have turned up at clinics across the Greater Toronto Area this week have cited concerns about the recent deaths of two Ontario children.
Evan Frustaglio, a 13-year-old hockey player from Toronto, died Monday after falling sick on the weekend and 10-year-old Vanetia Warner of the eastern Ontario community of Cornwall died Saturday after being ill for several days.
On Wednesday, Toronto Public Health said Mount Sinai Hospital was dealing with a minor outbreak of H1N1, with one patient and two staff ill.
Matthews pointed out that the rollout is "the greatest, largest-ever mass vaccination program in the province of Ontario."
"We will get through this," she said, adding that the program is a week ahead of schedule.
Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said 1.4 million doses have already been distributed to health units in the province.
Matthews also told the legislature that more help is being added to deal with a huge increase in calls to Ontario's Telehealth system, which is reporting long delays after being swamped with five times as many callers as expected.
People can also go to a Ministry of Health website at ontario.ca/flu and use an online self-diagnostic tool if they don't want to wait for a call back from Telehealth, said Matthews.
Opposition critics say the Liberal government should do more to help shorten or at least better co-ordinate the long lines of people waiting for swine flu vaccines.
There's been a sharp increase in swine flu cases in Toronto, which has accelerated the local vaccination program for priority groups. The general public can begin receiving H1N1 shots Monday.
