Canadians coast to coast are flooding clinics for the swine flu vaccine, and some are being turned away because supplies have temporarily run out.
In the country's capital, nanny Teezel Soringa was first in line outside a clinic at 10 a.m., nearly four hours before the vaccine was set to be administered.
"I badly need the shot," she told CTV Ottawa. "It's better that I get the shot than the illness."
Ottawa had five clinics open on Tuesday to give out the vaccine, and healthcare workers were swamped.
Resident Catherine Coulter lined up for the vaccine yesterday only to be forced to turn back to look after her children. On Tuesday, she was back in line.
"I have asthma and have had pneumonia, so it's important I be here today," she said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Albertans have spent hours waiting for their swine flu vaccinations, forcing Health Minister Ron Liepert to admit on Tuesday that officials didn't think demand would be so high.
More than 38,000 people have received the shot, and the province is opening another 11 immunization sites this week to help ease the long lineups.
Health officials will get the second shipment of the vaccine on Thursday.
In addition, 400 pharmacists have been certified to administer the shot, and will get supplies of the vaccine next week.
The high demand comes despite a recent Strategic Counsel poll that said only half of Canadians want to get the vaccine.
The survey, for CTV and The Globe and Mail, suggested 51 per cent of Canadians do not plan on getting immunized. However, 67 per cent said they believe the vaccine is safe.
In British Columbia on Tuesday, some residents who wanted the vaccine were turned away from clinics because supplies had run out.
"There's quite a pent up demand," Gavin Wilson, a spokesperson for health authority Vancouver Coastal Health, told The Canadian Press.
"I think people have been hearing about the vaccine for quite a long time now and it's here and people are eager to get it."
In downtown Vancouver, some people waited 40 minutes to get the shot.
"I used to have hepatitis C and I got that cured but currently I have HIV so I want to make sure I'm really healthy," said 37-year-old Shane Hutt.
With files from The Canadian Press