TORONTO -- A physician's decision to inoculate students at a private school did not follow the H1N1 priority sequencing mandated by provincial public health authorities, York Region Medical Officer of Health Dr. Karim Kurji says.
"We would have had a dialogue to ensure that that was going to go into the priority populations," Kurji said yesterday. "And when we were assured of that, the vaccine would have been given to the physician."
Residential students at St. Andrew's College, an all-boys school in Aurora, received "a limited number of doses," according to its website.
"The amount of vaccine allocated to us is still unknown and may not be enough to immunize the entire St. Andrew's community initially," the site tells school parents. "Therefore, we strongly recommend that those with family doctors or who have access to the community clinics consider this as a vaccination option."
Kurji doesn't support using the rationed supply of vaccine in this fashion.
"And I think we'd need a dialogue with the ministry as well, given that I don't think we're the only jurisdiction where this is happening," he said.
So far, only pregnant moms, children under five, people with underlying medical conditions, families of new babies, emergency responders and flu pandemic staff are eligible for the shot.
But students at three Toronto-area private schools are known to have received the H1N1 vaccination.
Hockey players at Hill Academy in Vaughan, where 13-year-old flu victim Evan Frustaglio attended school, were told they could go to a flu clinic for vaccination after his death last month.
Kurji said the kids were very anxious even though they were at no greater risk of contracting H1N1 flu.
The inoculations took place before the provincial government ordered strict compliance with the priority sequence.
Students vaccinated at Pickering College, a day and boarding school, were mostly in the high-priority group, Kurji said.
However, St. Andrews students were part of a vaccination program that did not centre on priority groups, he said.
"In the case of St. Andrew's, at no point has public health endorsed what they did," Kurji said.
