N.S. appeals for patience in H1N1 rollout

Public health officials in Nova Scotia are urging people to be patient for the H1N1 shot, as the second wave of the illness brings dozens of new cases.

Hundreds lined up outside the first mass H1N1 immunization clinics in Elmsdale and Truro on Tuesday. Many were turned away.

"We ask people to be patient," said Greg Boone, spokesman for the Cape Breton District Health Authority, which kicks off its vaccination program Wednesday in Baddeck.

"It is a mass immunization. It's one of the largest ever in the history of the province. So there will obviously be some waits and delays," he said.

In fact, officials are pleading with healthy Nova Scotians to wait so that people in high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and young children, can get their H1N1 shot first.

There have been 80 new confirmed cases of H1N1 since the second wave of the virus hit this fall. One person was hospitalized.

10 per cent school absenteeism rates

Officials said the Capital and Guysborough-Antigonish health districts have been hit the hardest.

In the Halifax region, 25 schools are reporting rates of absenteeism of 10 per cent or higher. There are four in Colchester County and three in Richmond County.

Camille MacGillvray, a parent in Dartmouth, finds it frustrating that the immunization clinics in the area aren't open until next week.

"It's happening now so we need to get immunized now, not when everybody's sick," she said.

It's up to the individual health districts to roll out their H1N1 vaccination programs. In the Capital Health district, health-care workers are getting their shots first.

811 swamped

Nova Scotians can call the 811 toll-free health line for details about H1N1 clinics, but callers can expect delays.

The service was set up to handle a maximum of 400 calls a day. On Tuesday, however, it received 2,900 calls.

"It's taking hours in some cases to get back to people with information that they are requesting. If people are calling with symptoms, however, those calls are being triaged first and being called back first," said Ian Bower, executive director of primary health for the province.

Bower said 85 per cent of the calls are H1N1-related, and just under half of the callers have questions about flu symptoms.

He said the company running the 811 service has hired more staff to take calls.