TORONTO — The federal government has warned Ontario it will suffer a sudden cut in H1N1 flu vaccine shipments, provincial officials said Thursday, prompting the spectre of shortages as the pandemic escalates.
Dr. Arlene King, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, told reporters Thursday the province is bracing for a falloff in supply despite significantly higher-than-anticipated demand for the vaccine.
“We had been given some indication that there may be some lower quantities of vaccine coming next week,” she said. “We will have further information (today).”
The Manitoba and Alberta governments have issued similar warnings.
The cause of the slowdown relates to production problems at the GlaxoSmithKline Inc. plant in Sainte-Foy, Que., where the vaccine is manufactured, according to Ontario officials.
Production lines at the facility were recently switched to manufacture an unadjuvanted version of the vaccine suitable for pregnant women. Roughly 1.8 million doses of that vaccine was manufactured. They were subsequently reconfigured to manufacture the more common version of the vaccine, which includes the “adjuvant” booster chemical that lets the manufacturer get more doses out of the available raw materials.
“And based on that switch and switching back, it required they ramp up their production again,” said King.
A request for comment from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which is responsible for ordering and distributing the vaccine to the provinces, was not returned.
The shortage comes as the province finds itself in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic. Hospitalization rates are increasing, although the death rate of 2.2 deaths for every million people is still considered low.
“We are already at the same level in terms of our influenza-like illness that we had at the peak we experienced in the spring,” said King. “So flu activity is robust right now.”
Ontario has distributed 1.4 million doses and “that vaccine is being used up pretty well as fast as we get it,” said King. Another 720,000 doses will be delivered shortly, she said, including 49,500 doses for Ottawa on top of the 83,500 doses the city has already received. At current rates of use, that would keep Ottawa supplied until next weekend.
“The numbers (of people showing up to be vaccinated) are going up dramatically every day,” said King. “And as we add more clinics, we’re going to use more.”
The looming vaccine shortage, therefore, is expected to pose significant challenges to the province’s immunization program, which in some parts of the province is already stretched thin. In Ottawa, officials warned they could run out of vaccine by Monday unless the fresh shipment arrives.
In Toronto, where public fear spiked after the death Monday of a healthy 13-year-old boy, public health officials are struggling to keep up with massive demand. They were forced to close one of only two clinics open in the city Thursday within an hour-and-a-half of its opening, because of massive lineups.
King said her office is playing a delicate balancing act in trying to match demand with supply. Provincial officials expected demand for the flu shot to be “below 50 per cent,” she said, at same level as the yearly seasonal flu shot. While she indicated the rate was significantly higher, she would not say what percentage of the population is seeking the special H1N1 flu vaccine.
“The uptake is brisk,” she said. “And we are very pleased about that. We are encouraging people to be patient, though, and come forward when their turn comes.”
Ontario’s health minister, Deb Matthews, said the federal government had not told the province officially what the reduced amount “might be” and that she was hoping to learn the final number by Friday.
Saskatchewan had hoped to begin vaccinating all at-risk groups starting next week, but instead the focus will be on children ages six months to five years old and pregnant women. Clinics will be expanded as more vaccine becomes available. The province is set to receive 60,000 doses, half of what it was expecting.
Alberta has also been warned to expect less than half of their order. They were anticipating a shipment of 200,000 doses for next week and have been advised they may only get 90,000.
“That means we’ll be ensuring we use that vaccine wisely,” said John Tuckwell, spokesman for Alberta Health and Wellness.
News of the reduced supply comes as another Canadian death from H1N1 was reported in Calgary, an adult male, and as people anxious for their shot continued to swamp clinics and parents worried about their sick children flooded hospital emergency rooms.
With files from Sharon Kirkey, Canwest News Service and Global New
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