If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. "We certainly applaud their efforts to step up to the challenge this year," he said. York Region Public Health responded with a guidance document and checklist on how to plan and operate a COVID-safe flu clinic, but said it was unable to provide additional logistical support. The benefits of the flu shot far outweigh any discomfort a person may experience. It’s safe for children to receive the flu shot if they have a mild illness. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. More serious side effects are rare, but your child could be allergic to the shot. Ontario pediatricians say their calls for the financial and logistical support needed to do more flu vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic have so far gone unheeded and fear an "imminent crisis" lies ahead. At least 180 children died from flu the same season. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t object to children being vaccinated at pharmacies. Even then, many require prescriptions. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Many are used to getting it at work, but with so many people working from home and work places limiting the number of people coming in, that may not be an option this year. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. “Pharmacists may not have the same degree of experience providing injections to unruly children as do nurses in a pediatrician’s office. "We … would like to express our urgent concerns regarding an imminent crisis in influenza vaccination," said an online petition launched on Change.org Saturday by the pediatrics section of the Ontario Medical Association. Each year, children die from influenza infection. Flu Season Off to Early Start: More Than 3 Million Cases in the U.S. Some states are making it easier for kids to get their flu shots at pharmacies. That’s despite the fact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone who is at least 6 months old get vaccinated every year. Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital. Left Brain vs. "We like to work as co-operatively as possible ... but ultimately, when it actually comes to the provision of nurses or when it comes to the provision of dollars, that is not part of our mandate," Kurji said. Flu shots for children don’t protect against all viruses. "What we're saying is we don't think we can do it on our own. Toronto Public Health will run some flu vaccination clinics of its own, said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto's associate medical officer of health, in an email to CBC News. “There is no reason to have laws restricting pharmacists’ ability to vaccinate,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, FIDSA, a senior scholar at John Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland, told Healthline. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order allowing children 2 years and older to get flu shots from pharmacies. We need help.". Pediatricians issue urgent call for help to get flu shot to more people this fall. "Right now, Public Health seems to expect the status quo from years past, when individual doctor's offices and scattered flu clinics gave flu vaccines.". Public health officials and health-care experts have stressed the importance of getting the flu shot this year to avoid burdening the health-care system even more during the pandemic. 18 Remedies to Get Rid of Headaches Naturally. It protects against four strains of the flu compared to three last year. Flu shots are approved for children over 6 months of age. It’s not anything special. But public health departments are also "stretched thin" as they manage the COVID-19 crisis and ramp up efforts to deliver the flu vaccine to primary-care providers, Kurji said. Getting a flu shot for children is an option frequently staring parents in the face at least once or twice a week when they go to drugstores and pharmacies.
The government is absolutely aligned that the flu vaccines are going to be important," she said.
During the 2017-18 flu season, about 42 percent of children didn’t get a flu shot, according to the CDC. “Parents should think about the influenza vaccine just like any of the other vaccines they get for their children. WATCH | Why more people are planning to get flu shots this year: The solution, they say, is "planning large scale, community-based province wide flu vaccination clinics," which would be held in large venues that allow for physical distancing, as well as outdoor or drive-through clinics. Frank McGeorge, MD, Local 4's Good Health Medical Expert. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Children who are 6 months to 8 years old may need two doses in a single season, according to the CDC. In the middle are the 30 states with cutoff ages ranging from 2 to 13.
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