Hockey team's roster must include pregnant women, toddlers

Paula Simons, Edmonton Journal

Published: Thursday, November 05, 2009

Tuesday morning, the Calgary Flames ignited a fire storm of public fury, when news broke that Alberta Health Services had set up a special H1N1 clinic for players, team staff, and their families. No lines, no waiting.

Tuesday evening, with the great Flames Flu Scandal still raging, members of the Calgary Flames farm club were quietly inoculated against H1N1 by their team physician.

This, despite the fact that British Columbia has been strictly rationing its flu vaccine from the outset. According to the B.C. health department, only pregnant women, children under five, those with serious chronic health conditions, and caregivers of infants under six months, are currently entitled to receive the vaccine. Perry Kendall, B.C.'s chief health officer, says doctors in private practice can requisition vaccine for their patients, but only on the understanding that it be reserved for those high-risk cases.

Put your hands up if your team got the h1N1 flu shot.

Nick Procaylo, Vancouver Province, File

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Nonetheless, the Heat's team doctor officially diagnosed most of the players as "high-risk" and vaccinated them accordingly.

(Hmm. I guess the Heat must be the first pro hockey team in the world made up exclusively of pregnant women, toddlers and asthmatics.)

While Kendall called the vaccination of the Heat players inappropriate and outside of provincial guidelines, team president Tom Mauthe released an utterly unapologetic statement Wednesday, insisting that "at no time did anyone from the Abbotsford Heat receive preferential treatment nor did they jump the queue." A remarkable assertion, given that in B.C., not even all paramedics have received vaccine yet.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames, seemingly oblivious to the PR dangers of yet another flu hullabaloo, insisted that the vaccination of their minor league players was "fair and above board," then declined further comment.

On Wednesday afternoon, the embarrassed folks at Alberta Health Services announced that the most senior person responsible for authorizing the Flame's vaccination clinic had been fired. At the same time, B.C.'s health minister says he will be looking into the Abbotsford Heat affair. Will that appease public anger, restore public trust? I'm not so sure.

Let's clear up the semantic nonsense right away. Of course, professional hockey players are at "high risk" of getting the flu, living in close quarters, travelling so much. But that's not what high risk means in this situation. It means first priority goes to those at a higher risk of developing severe, even life-threatening complications. It's not about your risk of catching the bug. It's about your risk of dying. Pro athletes in peak condition hardly fit that bill.

On Monday Oct. 26, by contrast, the first day of Alberta's flu clinics, when there was no talk here yet of shortages or rationing, the City of Edmonton contacted Alberta Health Services to ask for H1N1 vaccine for emergency and essential workers such as firefighters and police officers.

The answer the city received was a blunt no.

On Friday, the day the Flames were getting their own special flu clinic, the Edmonton Police Commission wrote an impassioned letter to Health Minister Ron Liepert, Solicitor-General Fred Lindsay, and AHS czar Stephen Duckett, imploring the province to give priority to police officers, as first responders.