Influenza vaccine clinics for children in Richmond are being set up starting this weekend.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s top health officer, focused Monday on the need to vaccinate children, pointing out only 20 per cent in B.C. have received a flu shot.
Henry said after two years of low rates of flu, mostly due to travel restrictions, the province is seeing a "dramatic increase" in illness and it arrived sooner than normal.
"We know, much more than COVID, influenza can cause more severe illness in children, especially young children, and it can lead to secondary bacterial infections with things like streptococcus and pneumococcus that can cause very severe pneumonia," she said.
While flu immunization is low, 80 to 90 per cent of children get routine childhood vaccines, including baby immunizations, and shots in kindergarten, Grade 6 and Grade 9, according to public health data.
In Richmond, 88 per cent of seven-year-old children were up-to-date on their vaccines in 2019, according to BCCDC data.
The Richmond pediatric flu clinics will run on four weekends starting this Friday.
There has recently been a heightened anxiety in Richmond about complications from influenza in children.
Furthermore, hospital capacity has been strained as three types of illness, COVID-19, influenza and RSV - a viral infection in the lungs and breathing tubes - have been recently filling up emergency rooms with young patients.
With so many children getting sick, wait-times at BC Children’s Hospital emergency room have reached at times 10 hours – the wait time at Richmond Hospital on Wednesday afternoon was almost four hours.
Fear around flu complications in kids
There has also been heightened concern over children developing myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, after getting sick with the flu.
Vancouver Coastal Health says this is rare, but when it occurs, it is most commonly caused by an infection in the body. These are infections from viruses, most commonly, the common cold, influenza or COVID-19, or from bacteria, fungus or parasites can lead to myocardial inflammation.
Others have expressed concerns about their kids developing myocarditis after getting a flu or COVID-19 vaccine.
In fact, the risk of getting myocarditis after a COVID-19 vaccine is miniscule – on average, there are 1.1 to 1.7 cases per 100,000 people and this most commonly occurs in men aged 18 to 29 after a second dose.
There are no known reports of myocarditis following vaccination against influenza, VCH added.
But the risk of getting myocarditis from COVID-19 without a COVID-19 vaccine is seven times higher, according to ImmunizeBC.
In fact, a review of 22 studies, done by two American universities and one in India, found that of those who did develop myocarditis, either after a COVID-19 vaccine or after being sick with COVID-19, just over one per cent were hospitalized and 0.015 per cent died, that is, 15 people out of 100,000 who got COVID-19-related myocarditis died.
The studies reviewed included 55 million vaccinated people and 2.5 million people who got COVID-19.
In Canada, there were 1.7 cases of myocarditis per 100,000 people after the Moderna vaccines and 1.1 cases per 100,000 after the Pfizer vaccines in older children and adults.
Even those who got myocarditis, even if they were hospitalized, usually experienced relatively mild illness, VCH explained.
As for children getting myocarditis or pericarditis – inflammation of the heart lining - after a COVID-19 vaccine, in the U.S., the rate was 2.7 cases out of 1,000,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine in boys aged five to 11.
Rates for children six months to five years was unknown, but it is expected to be very rare, VCH clarified.
Parents can sign up kids for flu vaccines
Richmond parents who want to get their kids vaccinated can book an appointment over the next four weekends – Friday to Sunday - at the Richmond Public Health unit at 8100 Granville Ave.
The clinics run from 9 a.m. to noon and then 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
This pediatric clinic is for children aged six months to 11 years and for children up to the age of 17 who have special needs such as sensory issues, autism, severe anxiety and needle phobias.
There will be extra support for children with special needs.
Click here for a link to for information about children’s flu vaccine clinics within Vancouver Coastal Health, including the Richmond clinics.
Information will be added as clinics are scheduled.
Richmond clinic dates are currently scheduled for Dec. 9-11, Dec. 16-18, Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 29-30.
- with files from Canadian Press
