Toronto residents will be able to get their seasonal flu shots at Toronto Public Health H1N1 clinics starting tomorrow, Saturday, December 5. All eight clinics will operate daily until Sunday, December 13 and will offer both vaccines.

“Immunization remains the best way to protect yourself and others against influenza,” said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Director of Communicable Disease Control for Toronto Public Health. “Flu season usually continues to April or May. Other strains of influenza may circulate in Toronto even as H1N1 continues.”

Dr. Yaffe added that H1N1 activity is considerably higher than the seasonal flu activity typically seen at this time of year, and is affecting different groups of people than seasonal flu. This season, the highest rate of hospital admission due to H1N1 has been among children under five.

By the time the clinics close at the end of the day December 13, Toronto Public Health will have vaccinated more than 200,000 people directly and distributed more than one million doses of vaccine to physicians, hospitals and other settings. Torontonians will be able to continue accessing both vaccines at many of these locations.

The provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced last week that organizations can now apply to hold workplace clinics for H1N1 vaccination. Workplace clinics may also be held for seasonal flu.

A limited number of clinics will be held in January in order to give young children a second dose of H1N1 vaccine. These clinics will also provide another opportunity for the general public to get both seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. Dates, times and locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information, please visit http://www.toronto.ca/health/