ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Kids stayed home from school and a small group of parents protested on Newfoundland's south coast today in a bid for faster access to the swine flu vaccine.
The parents demanded that vaccination teams come to local schools in St. Bernard's on the Burin Peninsula.
The parents say regional immunization plans will take too long to protect their children.
Eastern Health, the province's largest health authority, will open 27 mass immunization clinics across the eastern part of the province starting Monday.
Chief medical officer Dr. David Allison says only people in high-risk groups should show up first.
School absentee rates in the district have shot up in recent days, with at least one-third of kids staying home in many locations.
