Health and Community Services
December 14, 2009
The following statement was given today in the House
of Assembly by the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister
of Health and Community Services:
Acknowledging Province�s Health
Care Professionals for H1N1 Response
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House to
acknowledge and thank our province�s health care
professionals for their hard work and dedication over
the last number of weeks as our province experienced a
second wave of H1N1 infection.
With only six weeks having elapsed since we started to
feel the effects of the H1N1 virus in our province, Mr.
Speaker, I am pleased to report that approximately
333,967 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have been
vaccinated, which equates to over 66 per cent of our
population. This is indeed a great accomplishment and
one which is unparalleled in the rest of the country.
While we believe we have reached the height of what we
might see for this second wave of the pandemic, we must
continue to remain vigilant in preventing any future
spread.
Mr. Speaker, a number of our residents in our province
have been affected by the H1N1 virus. While most
experienced mild illness, there are others who were
hospitalized. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately H1N1 resulted
in the loss of life. We cannot forget those
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who have been so
gravely affected by this virus. I extend my condolences
to the families and friends of these individuals.
Mr. Speaker, immunization is our best line of defense
against the H1N1 flu virus and is effective in reducing
severe illness and death. Even after a large second
wave, many people may not have been infected and
therefore they will remain susceptible to infection
unless they are immunized. For this reason, Mr. Speaker,
I am encouraging all residents, if they have not done so
already, to roll up their sleeves and get the H1N1 flu
vaccine. The more people vaccinated in our province, the
better chance we have of avoiding any further waves of
illness.
While we experienced some early bumps in the road with
immunization clinics, we adopted plans along the way to
accommodate the vaccine shortage. I commend all of our
health care workers for their professionalism and
dedication to rolling out the vaccination program with
success, and for providing quality care for our
residents. I am very proud of the team effort by all.
I would also like to thank the residents of our province
for taking the threat of H1N1 seriously and lining up to
receive the vaccine, and for having patience with the
process. Everyone pulled together with a united effort
to protect our families, friends and neighbours. Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
2009 12 14
1:50 p.m.
