Canada's flu vaccine leftovers being sent overseas

[daleo]

Bulk shipments of the main component of the H1N1 vaccine made at a Quebec plant are being exported to other countries, as Canadians line up for hours for the scarce influenza shots.

GlaxoSmithKline, which has the sole contract to supply Canada's flu vaccine, says it can produce more antigen than it can expeditiously put into vials for Canadians, and has been exporting excess amounts overseas.

Meanwhile, Canadians waited in long lines or were turned away Tuesday in the face of dwindling vaccine supplies and a resurgent virus. Alberta shut down its clinics over the weekend, and rolled out a revised vaccination strategy Tuesday. And there is concern in aboriginal communities: In Northern Ontario, they have received less vaccine than promised, while British Columbia's public health officials are unsure how many native people have been vaccinated.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/canadas-flu-vaccine-leftovers-being-sent-overseas/article1350376/
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It's all about little bottles. It would make a good story in The Onion.