Parents confused by B.C. 'vaccine blitz,' citing long waits for kids' flu shots

With B.C. now on a so-called "vaccine blitz," some parents are telling CTV News they've been waiting weeks to get their kids in for a flu shot.

Health officials announced the "blitz" on Monday, encouraging parents to get their young kids a flu shot to guard against severe outcomes and hospital visits.

As sick kids fill up emergency rooms, Anna Wilczewski feels the urgency of getting her two-year-old twins their flu shots. She said she first started her quest weeks ago.

She tried pharmacies, public health units, and doctors' offices, with no luck. Even with the kids registered in B.C.'s Get Vaccinated system and health officials warning about a surge in flu cases, an invite never came.

Late Monday, she received a notice that stated kids under age five are at higher risk than others to get very sick. She clicked the link, which asked her to register, something she'd already done.

"I wish we had started this process weeks ago, because our hospitals have been bursting for weeks now," Wilczewski told CTV News.

'ACCESSIBILITY IS VERY HIGH'

Health Minister Adrian Dix said about 140,000 such texts were sent to parents asking them to register. The ministry acknowledged some parents who had already registered may have received that message.

Asked about Wilczewski's situation, in particular, Dix said: "I'd be interested in the case, because we want to resolve problems and we want for the twins to be vaccinated."

The health minister insisted there's no glitch, pointing out the system booked millions of flu and COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Later this week, health authorities will open up drop-in clinics – including for kids under five – as part of the immunization blitz.

"Currently, there is sufficient capacity and supply in B.C. for both influenza and COVID-19 fall booster shots," a spokesperson for the Health Ministry added in a statement.

"I would say just in a general sense that the accessibility is very high. It's higher than it's ever been in the history of immunization programs in B.C." said Dix.

He said roughly 2,000 doctor's offices and 1,000 pharmacies are part of the rollout.

Despite that, Wilczewski – who lives in South Surrey – didn't have any luck finding a place for her kids.

Outside a flu clinic in Victoria, several parents told CTV News they waited weeks before being able to get an appointment for their kids. Lauri Stofko said she waited a month.

"It's tough," Stofko said. "You want to do the right thing, but if there's no shot or appointment available. You just have to wait your turn."

The ministry encouraged people to continue checking the booking system for earlier openings, as more capacity is being added.

HEALTH-CARE WORKERS ALSO LEFT SEARCHING

Dr. James Heilman, who works in emergency in Cranbrook, said even for health-care workers, the wait was long. He said last year, an in-hospital pharmacy offered flu shot clinics, and before that a nurse offered the shots to hospital staff.

This year, that didn't happen. On Nov. 10, after working several night shifts in a row, he began documenting his attempts to get vaccinated on Twitter.

"I ducked down to a local pharmacy, since I was unable to get in the hospital pharmacy, and they said they had no shots available for drop-ins," Heilman explained to CTV News.

He finally got his vaccine a few days ago, but not before being told he would perhaps need to go to another town to get it. He said the whole episode is putting even more strain on health-care workers.

"Between the multiple respiratory issues going on, some of our ER docs here are getting their second round of COVID," Heilman said. "(It) makes it tough to keep the department covered with staff."

While a flu shot offers good protection, Heilman said he also believes there should be better guidance for the use of masks, which he said are also helpful.

As for Wilczewski's twins, after she called the province's 800 number, she was able to book appointments for just days before Christmas. Doctors say the shot takes about two weeks to be fully effective. Wilczewski is hoping the twins don't get sick before then.

"Maybe today if people are starting to look for booking a flu vaccine it's a lot easier, but three weeks ago, it certainly wasn't," she said.