Ont.'s supply of H1N1 vaccine dwindling

Ontario will run out of theadjuvanted form of theswine flu vaccine by the end of the week, according to Health Minister Deb Matthews.

Some local health units could run out of the H1N1 shot earlier than others, Matthews said,but the province overallwill likelybe out of the vaccine by the end of the week.

The vaccine targets the strain of H1N1 influenza A virus responsible for the current swine flu pandemic. The adjuvanted form contains an additive that aims to improve the efficacy of the vaccine by boosting the immune system.

Matthews, who wouldn't specify a date for when the vaccine will run out, said there is still plenty of the non-adjuvanted form of the vaccine, which does not include the additive and is intendedprimarilyfor pregnant women.

About 200,000 more doses of the adjuvanted vaccine are expected to arrive next week.

Matthews came under fire in the legislature Wednesday from opposition parties, who accused the governing Liberals of bungling the vaccine rollout, whichresulted in long lineups at clinics last week.

The ministersaid while there have been problems in delivering the vaccine,Ontario is still on track to have more than two million people immunized by the end of the week.

Shedenied thatthe vaccination plan has been a failure, even though Ontario won't be able to meet the target set out in itsoriginal pandemic plan to have everyone immunized within four weeks.

Toronto's rollout was "unacceptable," but wait times at clinics across the province have improved, Matthews said.

Shealso suggested that the province might add school-age children to the list of priority groups once the supply of the vaccine increases.

Matthews disputed reports that aboriginal reserves in northern Ontario haven't received enough vaccine.

The province shipped an "over-supply" of the vaccine to reserves, she said, despite reports from one native leader that his 49 communities have only received half of the vaccine supply they were promised.