Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc has once again appealed for calm as the province continues to carry out its swine flu vaccination program.

Speaking at a press conference in Quebec City on the sixth day of vaccinations, Bolduc said it's important for people to respect the priority list that has been established by the government.

"It can happen that some people will be told they cannot have the vaccine and to come back when it is their turn," Bolduc said.

Certain high-risk groups are to be vaccinated before the rest of the population:

  • health-care workers
  • children 6 months to 5 years
  • people with chronic illnesses

People who show up at vaccination centres next week will have to show ID to prove that they are from the region and that they are part of the target group.

Young children most vulnerable

Dr. Alain Poirier, Quebec's director of public health, said the cases of recent hospitalizations show that the priority list is optimal, and therefore it will not be changed.

Children under 5 years are most vulnerable to the H1N1 virus, Poirier said.

The other groups most susceptible to the flu are the following:

  • Children aged 5-9
  • Adults aged 50-59
  • Youth aged 10-19

In the past seven days, 125 people have been hospitalized.

Thirty-three of those patients were hospitalized within the past 24 hours.

Before the H1N1 vaccine became available on Monday, polls showed that almost half of Quebecers had no intention of getting the shot.

But by the end of the week, vaccination centres were overflowing and people had to be turned away.

Poirier said the death of Evan Frustaglio, a 13-year-old hockey player from Ontario, triggered a change in people's attitudes.

"We all saw that father in that terrible story (...) Images are more stronger than my statistics," Poirier said.

The H1N1 virus has touched all regions across the province, but Montreal is among the most heavily affected areas.

Pregnant women

So far, no pregnant women have been hospitalized in Quebec. The non-adjuvanted vaccine is not yet available, but Quebec health officials are recommending that expectant mothers go ahead and get the vaccine with adjuvant instead of waiting.

On Friday, an expert committee that advises the World Health Organization on vaccine issues reported that even very young children, and pregnant women should feel free to use vaccine containing adjuvant.

The group, known by the acronym SAGE, said vaccines containing boosting additives called adjuvants and vaccines that are adjuvant-free appear to be equally safe and there is no need to recommend pregnant women get the latter on a preferential basis.

Death in Ontario

An Ontario woman from the Niagara Falls area has died after contracting H1N1, following an outbreak in the region.

It is the province's third confirmed death from the flu in a little over a week.

The woman, who had underlying health conditions, died sometime this week from H1N1 but Niagara region health officials could not reveal her age or location due to patient confidentiality.

With files from The Canadian Press