As the city of Toronto offers a list of canceled city programs, some of which are also administered by a number of private organizations, The Globe and Mail reported that after Monday’s flu vaccine vaccinations, the city decided to “pause” some recreational programs in the Toronto of Parkdale Neighborhood’s Parks and Recreation branch.
Per the city’s website, senior staff will not administer vaccines to children from Monday to Thursday this week. Staff say, “staff cannot get out on to the field and [participate] in recreational programs when they may not be fully immunized.” As of Tuesday morning, there were nine sports and recreational programs on the list.
The city says it’s possible that any recreational program that doesn’t involve school-aged children could potentially still be affected by the flu, and goes on to warn parents to check the status of their children’s vaccinations online if their children are unsure. The city continues by saying that there has only been a “token number” of flu cases in the city and that there is no need to worry if a family member has been vaccinated, “For example, if your child’s sibling was immunized and still hasn’t been detected with flu, your child’s not at risk.”
Parkes notes that another concern for city staff when administering flu vaccines is that children could get the flu after they are vaccinated, and it is concerning that some cases were confirmed to have occurred on Monday.
“That’s why it’s so important that everybody gets their flu shot,” she said.