Atlantic Xpat

At one stage, the neuro-muscular clinic at the local childrens hospital, which my youngest has been attending since she was 9 months old, would organise flu shots for patients and their immediate family. So we could all go and get it done at one time. Last year that changed to patient only which seems a bit pointless. On the wider clinic roll out, statistics apparently prove that by having everyone go to a clinic at a particular place and time, the percentage of the population that got vaccinated increased. However if those times and places are inconvenient, then your only real remaining choice is to pay a pharmacist do give you the shots. It would be helpful if, having authorised pharmacists to give the shots, the govt would pay them for the service in the goal of maximising vaccinations, but I guess that would be too expensive so all eggs are in the basket of the clinics. If I recall last year we used the pharmacist for convenience sakes and paid for the privilege. Creeping privatisation 'innit?! Just like blood tests - go to the hospital and give up the best part of a morning getting parked, waiting etc or go to the nurses office nearby walk in, get the blood test done and be out again in 5 minutes. Worth the $20 but only if you have it.

scrubbedexpat091

Only the hospitals do free of charge labwork there?

Interesting how different provinces do things.

Hospitals usually have labs here as well but lifelabs has locations all over and that is a good chunk of people go. Might be different labs elsewhere in the province.

I know small towns may only have hospital labs here but the larger citys and towns all have private labs but MSP covers the cost for most tests.

BristolUK

We don't actually see the doc. His secretary phones around to let people know there's a session, people turn up and get it done by the nurse. It's about the same as going to a clinic - but given so many doctors are based in a big building with many other docs it amounts the same thing.

I imagine getting the docs office to make the contact is because they'll know which patients qualify for the free shot. Only time the doc has done it has been when the session hasn't fallen within the window period I mentioned and he did it at one of the regular appointments arranged anyway.

They did that for H1N1 here. They actually messed it up and by the time they got organised they used the community college and the line-ups were unbelievable.
Absolutely.
Actually that was probably what I was thinking of...blood test not flu shot. Luckily I live a 5 minute walk from the hospital and I'm usually back home within 30 minutes of leaving - and that includes waiting for a few minutes before leaving the clinic like a good boy.

Mostly, I believe so. Can't speak for Newfoundland of course. It's not really an inconvenience though. We have two hospitals (2 health authorities) in a small city and most people probably live closer to one of them than they do to their doctor or the pharmacy that would do it.
Yes, I've seen mention of that that. Even accessing your own results as well?
There was another thread somewhere - joined up thinking - where a lot of those differences came out. BC seems very good in this respect.

scrubbedexpat091

Yes, in BC you can access many lab results online.

Some however are not online.

Pharmacies use our MSP number I beleive to check status for free vaccine.

BristolUK

Joined up thinking

Zoe Bell

i think OHIP uses the same scheme. Give Ohip number at pharmacy , sign for get the shot

BristolUK

I vaguely recall someone saying it was free for all in Ontario, so the OHIP account would verify qualifying.

It's not free for all in NB - although maybe a case could be made for most people using the sharing a household with an at risk person argument - so it would need something specific to be recorded.

Siouxie

I go to LifeLabs too - and get general tests/bloodwork done for free, although there are a few odd tests that have to be paid for (not run of the mill types, more specialised such as LP-Plat2 and Apolipropote A and B, MPO) - I like that I can see my results online and not have to wait for an appointment to see the doctor.

As to the Flu shot, sorry but I won't be partaking.They can't tell from one year to the next which strain or strains will be coming - it's their 'best guess' for that year when preparing the vaccine - and as such, may not offer any protection at all. I've 2 family members who caught flu despite having flu shots and got it very badly, they thought they were 'safe' from a) getting it or b) getting a bad dose of it because they had had flu shots. Not so - and their GP agreed. It only offers protection if that strain hits that year!

Zoe Bell

Don't undertsand this logic at all.

" i won't get the shot because it might not protect me"?
yes but then again it might.
yes you may still get the flu if the strain isn't covered but you have some protection against the strains that are. sure noone can predict with 100% certainty what strain you kight get but at least with the shot you get some protection
by using your argument you'll have no coverage at all. Can't see how that is better?

Siouxie

It's not 'what strain you might get' it's what strain is prevalent that year where you live.

You have some protection only provided the strain they have developed a vaccine against - and distributed where you live - is the strain that hits where you live that year. If it doesn't you have no protection at all, regardless.

Personally I don't want to fill my body full of needless live vaccine and whatever else they choose to add to it, on the off chance they might be right for once. I've had several strains of flu (including one of the worst ones - which I caught from someone who had had the flu shot and thought they didn't have to take precautions!) No, I didn't pass it on - when I get sick I stay indoors and don't have contact with anyone, so there is no risk to anyone else. I prefer to allow my body to build up it's own antibodies and resistance.. which it appears to have done as I didn't catch flu the last year or so, despite being exposed to it.

Each to their own. I don't presume to try to influence anyone to my way of thinking.. nor do I expect anyone to try to influence me.

caretaker

BristolUK

I think you're a bit off target there. Most often they get it mostly right.
There is however a period of at least 24 hours when you're carrying it without symptoms, so you might pass it on without knowing.

Siouxie

Here we go.. sigh.
Hmm from what I have researched on worldwide statistics, mostly they don't get it right - the last few years it's been under 10% protection in Canada.
That's highly unlikely because I don't leave the house from one damn week to the next in the winter and have little to no contact with other people - lol. When I have caught the flu it's from being exposed within the home by others who have caught it from outside.

Regardless, the title to this thread is 'are you immune to flu' - and YES I am immune to several strains due to having had them in the past!

Jerseygirl

I’ve only had flu once (not to be mistaken for a very bad cold or man flu). It comes on very quickly and is extremely debilitating...I mean flat on your back...wanting to crawl under a stone. Took both of us a good month to get back to normal.

BristolUK

Certainly it's not been so good lately. Working my way backwards I see "under 20%", 10% and 42% in the last three years for Canada, with variations according to age and gender. Surprisingly lower rates for people of working age - more likely to come across people with it in the workplace I guess and more often.

A CBC report from 2016 in reporting 45-50% effectiveness says "We would like to see it higher than 50 per cent," she said. "Previously we have measured H1N1 protection closer to 60 or 70 per cent, so we would like to know why now it's lower."

Shame I can't find anything like this for Canada. This is the USA. Can we be so far apart?

I'll have to drop by if I'm passing.

You'll have to forgive my sensitivity on this. You'll know why.