REGINA — A smaller than expected shipment of swine flu vaccine has forced health officials in Saskatchewan to restrict who will be able to be vaccinated in the coming days.
Dr. Moira McKinnon, the province’s chief medical health officer, says starting next week, they will limit vaccinations to pregnant women and children between six months and just under five years of age
She says while the province expected a second allotment of about 140,000 doses of swine flu vaccine, they’ve only received about 60,000.
McKinnon says data from across Canada and the United States suggests the illness is hitting pregnant women and young children especially hard, and that’s why they’ve chosen to target these groups first.
Health officials will likely decide next week which groups should be next in line.
The province began efforts to vaccinate about 40,000 health-care workers this week and McKinnon says between 80 and 90 per cent are opting to get the shot.