Health officials in Canada are assessing the situation to decide the number of doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccines the country will need in the upcoming flu season.

The country needs to order before the July 31 deadline to prepare for the possible pandemic, Ontario's chief medical officer of health said on Monday.

There will be a sufficient amount of vaccines for all those who want or need it, but not all 100 percent of the 33 million population will need it, Dr. Arlene King said.

As there may be a shortfall at first, officials are making up a list of priority groups which may include health workers, infants, pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions and the morbidly obese.

Remote and isolated communities, universities and military bases will also be the first groups to get the vaccine, she said.

Canada has a contract with GlaxoSmithKline, which owns a flu vaccine plant in Quebec province, to produce the necessary quantities. That plant is capable of producing 3.5 million to four million doses per week.

The initial amounts of vaccine will become available about mid-November, King said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2009)