U.S. citizens flock to Canada for flu shots

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Mary Buffamonti called her doctor in Tonawanda, N.Y., this week and found out that she couldn't get a flu shot.

So she crossed the Canadian border and went to a clinic in Fort Erie, Ontario, just across the Niagara River from Buffalo, N.Y.

"That was the main thing, the shortage. I didn't know if I could get a shot or not," the 77-year-old Mrs. Buffamonti said.

Americans are traveling to Canada for an injection of flu vaccine and a shot at some peace of mind.

They are crossing the Peace Bridge from New York to Ontario.

People in Washington state are driving to a clinic at the Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia.

Others are heading north on Interstate 29 from Minnesota to go to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

And they are crossing from Maine into New Brunswick to go to a clinic in St. Stephen.

It is just a trickle, but the search for flu vaccine in Canada shows the concern people have over the shortage here.

"I think people who are at risk are feeling vulnerable and want protection," said Dr. Artaj Singh, who runs an urgent-care clinic in Fort Erie that began offering the flu vaccine to Americans this week.