B.C. swine flu shots start Monday

B.C. health authorities will start swine flu vaccination early next week, but the first round of injections will be reserved for those most at risk of suffering complications from the virus.

Beginning Monday, the H1N1 vaccine will be available for individuals under 65 years of age with chronic diseases, as well as pregnant women and residents ofremote or isolated communities, Ida Chong, the provincial minister of healthy living, saidWednesday.

British Columbians who fall into these high-risk groups will be able to get the H1N1 vaccine andregular seasonal flu shot at the same time, said Chong.

Other British Columbians are being asked to waita few more weeks before going to get immunized.

"During this time, we would ask that those people who are not at highest risk to wait until mid-November to get immunized when we receive our full orders," Chong said in a written statement.

B.C. has seenCanada's worst outbreaks of the disease this fall, and health officials continue to advise everyone to get immunized.

"Now that the H1N1 flu vaccine has been approved, I encourage British Columbians to get immunized and protect themselves against this novel flu virus," said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall.

"Even if some of the population has already contracted H1N1 so far, we know that most British Columbians have not been infected yet and can still benefit from receiving the vaccine to protect themselves."