Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s medical officer of health, Dr. Nicola Mercer, said public health is currently trying to decide when to broaden the availability of the vaccine and who to give it to when this happens.

“There is much discussion going on about how to do that,” Mercer said in an interview Monday.

While she stressed no decisions have been made, the vaccine would “likely” be made available to “school-age children five to 18, and possibly some others,” Mercer said.

A change in vaccine availability is dependent on when public health receives more of the vaccine and how much it receives. Mercer said she’s hoping to receive a shipment Wednesday.

Mercer said lineups at the flu shot clinic at the former College Avenue school have been “modest” in the past week.

Only those in high priority groups – people under 65 years of age who have a chronic health condition; pregnant women; healthy children over six months and under five years of age; health care workers; and household contacts and care providers of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized or might not respond to vaccines – can currently get the vaccine.

“I would encourage anybody who has been concerned the lines are very long and weren’t going to come, to come now,” said Mercer.

In some cases, people were able to walk straight in to get their vaccine, she said. As of Friday 6,615 doses of the H1N1 vaccine have been given.

Mercer said the health unit also has an ample supply of vaccine without adjuvant, currently reserved for pregnant women.

School absenteeism looks to be on a slow decline. As of Friday, 34 schools in Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin were reporting more than 10 per cent of the student body absent.

That’s down from 40 schools in previous weeks.

“I can predict it’ll improve as the week goes by,” said Mercer of the absenteeism.

“I can predict that by looking at eastern Ontario, which was hit a week or two before us and they’re showing improvements in absenteeism.”

Mercer also answered a couple of questions asked by Tribune by readers.

One asked why people were left to wait outside at the flu clinic. Mercer said a lot of people were able to line up inside the school, but only within the limits allowed by the fire code – roughly 500 people.

“The maximum occupancy were allowed in, and that included staff,” she said.

Another reader asked why the public wasn’t allowed to park behind the school.

“Parking behind the school was very limited, and we actually had a great deal of difficulty accessing it because people were blocking” the way in, Mercer said.

She said parking on the sports field behind the school was not an option, as public health is leasing the building for the clinic.

Clinics run until Dec. 23 at the former school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 to 8 p. m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m.

The clinic will be closed on Wednesday Nov. 11, which is Remembrance Day.

For information visit www.wdghu.org .