Plenty of flu shots available in Canada

By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times staff reporter

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"We're definitely welcoming Americans," said Lynn Crosby, an office assistant at the International Travel Health and Vaccination Clinic in Surrey, B.C., about 10 minutes from the border. "We had someone here today from South Carolina, and a woman from New York is flying in tomorrow."

That clinic and a sister clinic in Langley, B.C., are offering flu shots for $20, American or Canadian. Walk-ins are accepted from noon to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Some Saturday clinics are planned as well.

Yesterday, the Victoria Clipper, a high-speed catamaran service between Seattle and Victoria, B.C., on Vancouver Island, announced it would offer a round-trip-and-flu-shot package at a discount price of $105.

A vaccine shortage in the United States has many Americans looking elsewhere for their flu shots.

The U.S. supply of flu vaccine this winter had been expected to be about 100 million doses. But the United States now is expected to get about half that amount because of contamination at one of the two manufacturers that provide vaccine here.

Flu shots in Canada International Travel Health Clinics Location: Surrey/White Rock and Langley Cost: $20, American or Canadian Information: www.doctortravel.ca, (604) 534-5588 for the Langley clinic and (604) 541-2829 for the Surrey/White Rock clinic Vancouver Coastal Health Authority's Travel Clinic Cost: $50 Canadian Location: 601 West Broadway, Vancouver Information: www.travelclinic.vancouver.bc.ca, (604) 736-9244 Other private travel clinics in Canada www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/tmp-pmv/travel/clinic_e.html#bc The Victoria Clipper Round trip to Victoria, B.C., and a flu shot, Monday through Saturday until Dec. 31. Cost: $105 Information: (206) 448-5000 or (800) 888-2535, www.victoriaclipper.com

Canada's largest vaccine producer isn't licensed to sell the shots in the United States. But Canadian officials say their vaccine is just as effective as the U.S. vaccine.

King County health officials have surveyed health-care providers to create an inventory of the vaccine supply. Results released yesterday show that while most hospitals in King County have some vaccine, most nursing homes and about 80 percent of smaller health clinics and private providers surveyed have none.

The providers who responded said they have received about 20 percent of the vaccine they originally ordered.

The nation's total flu vaccine supply will reach about 61 million doses this season, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said last night. The government hopes to get about 2 million more doses from Canadian suppliers and is negotiating with three European countries to try to get unused vaccine.

Public Health — Seattle & King County does not control distribution of the vaccine. But as more is shipped, health officials will use the inventory to make sure vaccine goes where it's needed most, said Matias Valenzuela, spokesman for Public Health.

Health officials say vaccine should be reserved only for those at risk of complications from the flu. That includes children ages 6 months to 23 months, people older than 65, and those between ages 2 and 65 with chronic illness.

It's still not known exactly when or how much additional vaccine is coming to King County providers, Valenzuela said.

The federal government announced yesterday that vaccine maker Aventis Pasteur is shipping up to 3 million doses a week to health-care providers around the country.

Canadian clinics and flu-shot providers ordered their vaccine either from ID Biomedical, a Canadian company, or from Aventis Pasteur's French branch, neither of which has had a problem supplying vaccines.

California-based Chiron, which was expected to provide about half of the U.S. supply, lost its license to make vaccine Oct. 5 because of problems with contamination. That leaves Aventis Pasteur as the only U.S. supplier.

Dr. Paul Assad, the medical director for the Canadian clinics in Surrey and Langley, said his clinics had plenty of flu vaccine to share with Americans. "It's amazing how much product is out there, actually," he said, because many Canadian clinics purchased too many doses.

Assad said the surplus resulted from a change in policy this year by the Canadian government, which runs the taxpayer-funded national health-care system.

Typically, Assad said, the government provides flu vaccine free to those considered to be high risk, but others must pay for immunizations, typically at for-profit travel clinics. Last year, children from 6 months to 3 years of age were not in the high-risk category, so private clinics ordered enough vaccine to cover the anticipated fee-for-service demand.

Following similar recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canada's health authorities this year added those children to the list of high-risk patients who would receive free shots, and purchased enough vaccine to cover them. The result: more vaccine than needed.

"I'm getting calls from other clinics, farther away (from the border) saying, 'I'm going to be stuck here with additional vaccine,' " Assad said. "So we're buying additional doses."

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority's Travel Clinic, a fee-for-service clinic operated by the B.C. government in downtown Vancouver, also will accept U.S. patients, said Viviana Zanocco, spokeswoman for the health authority.

Appointments for a special clinic for U.S. patients on Oct. 30 already have been booked, she said, but Americans may make appointments during regular clinic hours. The cost is $50 Canadian, and the clinic will not change money, she said.

The clinic is happy to serve Americans, she said. "It makes money for taxpayers, so we're happy. Have a little lunch whileyou're here; do some shopping."

Costco stores in Canada are not offering vaccinations to Americans at this time, said Rick Duffy, assistant vice president of pharmacy for Costco. Costco contracts with a nurse service to provide the vaccine, and at this point, it's not clear whether there'll be enough to share with Americans, he said.

But the situation is "changing by the hour," Duffy said.

Seattle Times staff reporter Marsha King contributed to this report. Information from The Washington Post was used in this report.

Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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