HawthorneVillager.com

Why are we allowing people who do not need the vaccine line up and cause trouble for those who are deemed to be at risk? Those who are not at risk should be sent home, or at the very least there should be two lines, a priority line for those at risk, and a "you can wait 8 hours and get it if it makes you happy" line for those who really have no business being there.

In case anyone is wondering, I myself am not at risk, but it is aggravating to hear a policy that rewards those who are selfish.

From St John's Ambulance... some good tips here!

Have a Happy, Healthy, Flu Free Halloween: Tips from St. John Ambulance to Reduce the Risk to Kids this Halloween
With all the talk of flu and H1N1 this year some parents may be hesitant to let their children out trick or treating. Though there is some risk of getting sick there is no reason to discourage children from going out. Instead use this opportunity to reinforce good hygiene and flu prevention with your children. These tips from St. John Ambulance will help parents and children enjoy a happy, healthy Halloween.

• Wash your Paws, Claws, Hooks and Hands: Hand washing is one of the most basic and most effective ways to prevent getting sick. Pack your little monsters off with some hand sanitizers or wipes and make sure they know to wash their hands before snacking.
• Catch it in Your Sleeve: Remind kids to cough or sneeze into their sleeves or a tissue.
• Avoid Common Surfaces: Instead of knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell, encourage kids to shout "trick or treat!" at the houses they visit.
• Don't Grab for Goodies: When handing out candy this year, avoid letting kids dig around in the bowl – instead use clean hands or a scoop to distribute goodies.
• Keep it to Yourself: If you or someone in your household is sick, don't hand out treats. Kids want candy, not germs.
• Plan Ahead: No parent wants to keep their child from having Halloween fun; but if they're sick, they should stay home. Plan ahead for Halloween at Home – rent a scary movie the kids may want to watch, play games, have a Halloween candy hunt or let the kids trick or treat to different rooms in the house. There is lots of fun to be had with family at home.

Remember there are plenty of scary things about Halloween but the flu shouldn't be one of them. For more information on the flu, visit www.fightflu.ca and have a happy, healthy Halloween from St. John Ambulance.

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Heather & Chris

Yeah, I think the government (of what level I'm not sure) has dropped the ball on this. Why is it that a population like Halton's only have 2-3 clinics set up in all of the region? It's the same in Peel and other regions as well (which have even bigger populations).

I'd love to get my 4 year old daughter to the clinic but there is no way in hell my daughter is going to last 4-5 hours waiting in line!

I don't think this virus is as big as a deal as they let on, but I still want to get myself and my daughter vacinated. I just wish they would have planned it out better. I called my doc's office and they still are clueless as to when they can start taking appointments to give the shot.

i can only imagine the what the funny looking waiting faces are like at these places

Anybody know what the line ups are like today at the Oakville and Action clinics??

Probably worse than during the week, since people will be taking school-age children and they don't have to take time off of work.

Acton was great today. I went up at 10:15am to get into line for my pregnant wife and 3 year old daughter. Opening time was supposed to be 12:30pm, but they opened up early (probably around 9:30 or 10), so there was a very small line outside. I called my wife and said to come up right away. They arrived around 11am, we went right in and were done 30 minutes later.

They seem to have fixed a bunch of problems from earlier this week, and it moved very smoothly today.