Fraser Health flu shot appointments postponed due to COVID-19
Posted October 27, 2020 3:05 pm.
Last Updated October 27, 2020 3:34 pm.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) — Melissa Nilan-Davies is among dozens of frustrated parents who have been told they’ll have to wait a little longer for their flu shot because of surging COVID-19 cases in the Fraser Health Authority.
The New Westminster mother is frustrated after flu vaccine appointments for her twin toddlers were cancelled and she’ll have to wait at least two weeks to book another appointment.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. It’s one of these things, it’s like you’re given these options of where to go, but then these places are turning you away and not providing an effective alternative,” she said.
Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, the interim chief medical health officer for the Fraser Health Authority, said Tuesday all public health clinics are still open, but some appointments have been postponed as staff are being re-directed to focus on contact tracing.
“If we have to re-schedule in order to free up that staff to support the COVID case and contact management response, we will ensure that the people whose appointments were postponed are able to re-schedule them as quickly as possible,” she said.
Re: cancelled flu shots, Dr. Brodkin says all public health clinics are still open, but shots are prioritized to ensure people most at risk get vaccinated first.
She stresses there is NO shortage of vaccine, but some people may have to wait until November.#bcpoli @NEWS1130— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) October 27, 2020
“Every person who is diagnosed with COVID infection in Fraser Health will receive a phone call from a public health nurse and then, all of those contacts also have to be reached. That is priority number one.”
Brodkin stresses there is no shortage of vaccine, but you may have to wait until November for immunization.
Nilan-Davies is worried two weeks is too late to keep her 21-month-old twins safe in daycare.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and yeah, I want to do everything I can to make sure that we avoid getting sick and avoid having to go to the doctor,” she said.
Re: cancelled flu shots, Dr. Brodkin says all public health clinics are still open, but shots are prioritized to ensure people most at risk get vaccinated first.
She stresses there is NO shortage of vaccine, but some people may have to wait until November.#bcpoli @NEWS1130— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) October 27, 2020
On Monday, the provincial health officer issued an order limiting the size of gatherings in private homes after B.C. set a three-day record with 817 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend.
The new order limits gatherings in private homes to members of your immediate household, plus six others.
