IT WILL BE INTERESTING, indeed, to see whether the deaths of two otherwise healthy young children changes the minds of roughly half the polled Canadians who last week didn't plan to have their kids vaccinated against the H1N1 influenza virus.

Since the virus turned up only a little over a year ago, the vaccine is obviously new and was only recently tested as to its efficacy and potential riskiness.

But if nothing else, the deaths this week of a 13-year-old Etobicoke hockey player and a 10- year-old Cornwall girl ought to be compelling evidence that any risk posed by the vaccine is trivial by comparison with the (admittedly small) risk of death from the virus.

Locally, the public vaccination clinics operated by the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph health unit will start tomorrow (Friday) in Guelph and on Monday in Orangeville, where the health unit office at 276A Broadway will have clinics Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 8 p.m. until Dec. 23.

Only two clinics are currently planned for Shelburne's Mel Lloyd Centre — on Tuesday, November 17 and Tuesday, December 15, both from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.