Lifted from: CheckUp – Jason’s Blog…

UPDATE: Montreal.

The H1N1 website was updated I guess over the last 48 hours and they upped the classification of persons who should get the vaccine, as the numbers at the clinics were low over the weekend here in Montreal.Since I am immunocompromised (HIV +) and I am also diabetic, I was pushed further up the line today on the website.

So I got ready and walked up to Alexis Nihon Plaza and got in line. I did not wait more than ten minutes at most to get all the way through to vaccination. They have a triage area outside screening people, and I did see them turn elderly people away – a woman who was in her sixties and was diabetic was turned away. They are pretty strict when it comes to the most important.

After getting through triage, they checked me into the system with my medicare card and I had to fill out a short form – they had people there to assist you if you needed it, and then they signed off on our forms, then it was to the vaccine stop. I got the vaccine with the adjuvant included.

There was an area outside the vaccine stop where nurses were monitoring people for side effects, so you aren’t alone during the process. They were very efficient and the line moved rather quickly. By the time I got out of the clinic there was a huge line – the lunch hour crowd I guess…

Get Yourself Vaccinated !!!

There’s no question about it; H1N1 is sweeping through Quebec, and has been for a few weeks now. You’ve probably already heard that Quebec government has released the vaccine, and is dispensing it across the province. I would strongly encourage you to consider getting yourself vaccinated.

Most of my readers are young, and mostly healthy. As such, the need to protect yourself from flu is not pressing. If you contracted H1N1 today, it would likely only mean missing a few days of school or work. So why get vaccinated? Because the flu pandemic is spread by droplet contact from person-to-person. Vaccinate yourself so that you’re not just another person in the long line of transmission. Because that line ends with people who are more susceptible, and who are going to die from it. Vaccinate yourself on behalf of Quebec’s elderly, the immunosuppressed patient who uses the pay-phone after you, the pregnant woman next to you on the bus, and the cancer patient. Getting the H1N1 vaccine is the socially responsible thing to do.

Find an Quebec vaccination clinic near you at THIS WEBSITE Vaccination schedules will vary by region, and in most regions where there are limited supplies of the vaccine, you will be prioritized according to your risk.

First to be vaccinated are those in danger themselves, and second those who have susceptible close contacts (e.g. health care workers). If neither of those are you, be prepared to wait a bit for your vaccine. Keep checking back, however, because eventually there should be enough for everyone.

There have been rumours and anxiety going around about the safety of the vaccine. As always, be discerning about where you get your information. Those organizations most-equipped to assess the quality of the H1N1 vaccine have pronounced it safe, and effective. In general, vaccines are the safest medications around.

That being said, the vaccine is likely to give you a sore muscle at the injection site, and perhaps a headache, fever, and flu-like symptoms for a day or two. This is not the flu, but rather your body’s immune system responding. Take Tylenol for your symptoms, and you shouldn’t be held back. Ultimately, a day or two of headache, and a sore shoulder are far better than having the flu itself, which can last more than a week!

Do it for your grandparents, for your nieces and nephews, and for the many Quebecers depending on you to do your part. Get your flu vaccine.

Thanks Jason …