VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver's Olympic organizers say they won't be at the front of the line if a vaccine against swine flu becomes available before the 2010 Games.
But they are concerned that delays in production of the vaccine could impact the Winter Olympics.
"If it was produced at the same rate as the seasonal flu we would have been fine, but now we have meetings coming up and we'll have our plans completed by the end of August," said Dr. Jack Taunton, the chief medical officer for the Olympic organizing committee, known as VANOC.
Vaccine manufacturers have been reporting that they are getting a low yield of vaccine viruses from the existing seed strains.
If the yield cannot be increased, it will slow the rate at which pandemic vaccine is produced, adding to the time it will take to protect populations in countries like Canada that have purchased vaccine.
"We have our own Tamiflu and we're stockpiling that, and we have our own seasonal flu in order," said Taunton.
"What we're awaiting now is in terms of getting first, the Canadian supply from the World Health (Organization)... and then how much normally would Vancouver Coastal Health and the Ministry of Health get and out from that, what is our proportion?"
Taunton said VANOC would look into vaccinating all of its 25,000 volunteers as well as its staff, though he added they can't force anyone to take the vaccine, only recommend it.
Athletes are being looked after by their own national Olympic committees, though Taunton said that VANOC was already talking to them about how they might be able to obtain the vaccine.
The World Health Organization said earlier this week that health care workers should be the first to get access to the vaccine and Taunton said organizers had no plans to butt in line.
"We know that there are other priorities," he said.
"We are not going to be stepping up to the front of the line and saying we're going to be taking this over a woman that's pregnant (or) somebody that has chronic disease."
