Federal officials say the first Canadians to get the H1N1 influenza vaccine will likely have it in November, contrary to reports it wouldn't be ready for two months.
Health Canada has yet to approve a vaccine for testing, which could begin -- at the earliest – on Oct. 14.
The required tests take up to eight weeks, which led to the assumption that vaccinations for high-risk groups wouldn’t be available until December.
However, federal health officials say the approval process is already underway because they are using data from international clinical trials started in early September.
The shot may come just in time for the second wave of infection, which is forecasted to hit Canada in mid-November.
This news comes one day after the U.S. became one of the first countries to begin vaccinating its citizens against the virus. It joins China and Australia as countries now offering pandemic flu shots.
With a growing concern of a second wave of H1N1 flu, family physicians in Toronto are being asked to take extra steps to help fight the virus.
Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the associate medical officer of health for Toronto, is circulating a letter this week asking doctors to extend office hours and put off standard annual checkups to keep space clear in case of an outbreak.
The letter suggests clinics move patients with flu-like symptoms into an exam room as soon as possible and to use surgical masks if there's a concern of H1N1.
