National Basketball Association

Ontario to investigate Raptors' swine flu shots

Published Nov. 6, 2009 1:37 a.m. ET

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Matthews said she shares the outrage sparked by reports that Raptors and Maple Leafs players got the shot even though the province doesn't have enough yet to vaccinate school-age children.

"I don't care who you are, how rich you are, how famous you are," she said. "If you're not in the priority group, get out of the line and let the people who are in the priority groups get their vaccination."

Matthews expects Ontario to run out of the regular H1N1 vaccine at the end of the week due to Ottawa's dramatic supply slowdown.

The province has enough vaccine to immunize 2.2 million people, which is intended only for the estimated 3.4 million Ontarians who fall under the province's high-priority groups, she said.

They include pregnant women, children between 6 months and 5 years of age, people who care for infants and other people who can't get the vaccine, people under the age of 65 with chronic conditions and those living in remote communities. The government wants to add school-age children as a priority group, but Matthews said it doesn't have enough vaccine.

She doesn't yet know how the Raptors and Maple Leafs players got the shot.

A health employee in Alberta was fired on Wednesday after letting the NHL's Calgary Flames jump the swine flu shot line.

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