DAVID SUZUKI, environmentalist
"I will when my turn comes up. I'm just astounded at people. Do they think doctors, scientists and government are out to poison them or something? I just don't get what the objections are to this. What does that imply they think about the health experts?"
MARGARET ATWOOD, author
"The jury is out. I'm waiting for more information. I was told (by a talk-show host in New York) that as I am over 65 I may have some immunity, as my parents had the 1919 flu - it's said to be related."
SANDRA OH, actor, Grey's Anatomy
"We work in a terrible incubator. Definitely people are down with it. This is a perfect opportunity to get in touch with our health. I just went to Whole Foods and got $200 worth of vitamins."
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PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER AND FAMILY
"They will not be jumping any queues and will be using the public health system, lining up for their shots like everyone else," a spokesman said.
PAUL MARTIN, former Prime Minister
"Mr. Martin has not yet had his swine flu shot but intends to as soon as possible," said Lucie Santoro, Mr. Martin's assistant
ANNE MURRAY, musician
"We have plenty of Purell and we are keeping human contact at a minimum (so much for fun on the road!)," said Ms. Murray's aide.
JANN ARDEN, musician
"I'm not [getting the shot, because]of all the reading and stuff that I've done. I'm coming into a period of time where I meet probably 100 people every night and shake their hands and have a picture taken with them. But having said that, I'm a chronic hand washer. I don't think I'd be kissing strangers on the cheek or anything of the sort.
"I'm not in an office setting, I'm not going to groups, I'm not in school, I'm not in college. I live in a rural part of Calgary and I haven't had the flu probably in 25 years. I just so, so rarely get sick. It's remarkable. And also I'm an older broad. I'm not in that really touchy age group which is teenagers kind of up to 35, 38 and then the elderly, so I don't really fit the profile. I'm 47 and I'm just not afraid of that. Am I crazy?"
PETER MANSBRIDGE, anchor, CBC's The National
"Yes, because I have become convinced that the risk of taking it is less than the risk of not taking it."
RICK MERCER, Host, The Rick Mercer Report
"Absolutely. I always get a flu shot, and seeing as how this is H1N1, why would I not get it? Every doctor I know tells me I should get it. Plus I do everything that my government tells me to do.
"My lifestyle means I travel a lot and I shake hands with so many people. I shake hands with every single person in my studio audience every week and that's 350 people. I take precautions like everyone else. I think everyone should get it, not just people who travel a lot and shake hands.
"In life, you take whatever precautions you can, and that includes getting the proper vaccinations and washing your hands and coughing into your sleeve, but I'm not going to change my lifestyle or stop doing my job.
"I'm hopefully going to arrange the vaccination through my family doctor. I'm a middle-aged man with no underlying reason why I should be near the front of the line, so I'm waiting until everyone else at risk gets the shot. I'm not pushing any pregnant women out of the way to get it.
"The people I've talked to who are worried about getting the H1N1 vaccination, the source of their concern seems to be a friend of their friend's cousin's brother who read something on the Internet. Very rarely does it involve health officials.
"The panic is worrisome. I wish people were getting the same information in every province. Every province is doing it differently. In Nova Scotia, you can get the H1N1 at the same time as the flu vaccine, in two different arms; in Newfoundland, the children will get vaccinated in schools; in B.C., it's completely different again. Every province is different. We have the federal government once again saying this is a matter of provincial jurisdiction. That would depend on how one interprets the Canada Health Act; they like to interpret that it has nothing to do with them, so they pass the buck.
"The media coverage of H1N1 seems to be mass hysteria. When you report that hysteria is occurring, the result will be more hysteria."
KEVIN NEWMAN, anchor, Global's National News
"Yes, I will. I'm an asthmatic, and I'm really susceptible to the flu and it goes straight into my chest if I do get it. I'm not going to take any chances.
"I also have quite a lot of air travel coming up, which is another reason why I'd like to get the shot in me before that. Asthmatics are on the priority list.
"The problem is I can't take a day off work to stand in line right now. The clinics here in Ottawa are good eight-hour waits. If there are any open this weekend I might drive into the countryside and hopefully the smaller centres won't have such long waits."
SUSAN SWAN, author, What Casanova Told Me
"I talked to my doctor about the vaccine and she advised me to get it in early November which is when her downtown Toronto clinic will have the vaccine.
"She was very low-key in the way she talked about it. I am 64, not quite in what is considered the high risk category but never mind. I think all Canadians should get advice from their doctors on the vaccine since the media has created a hopelessly confusing scenario by portraying so many differing points of view about the vaccine. This isn't a story that needs to be played from all angles. Doing that spreads fear and panic.
"In the late 1960s, I was a reporter on a Toronto daily and in those days reporters were taught that we had a responsibility to our readers to get the facts right. I wish I saw more of that responsibility in the way the story is currently being presented to the public. But then you won't print this because I'm being critical of the media. Or will you?"
JEFF BATCHELOR, snowboarder, Canadian half-pipe team
"I see no reason to get the vaccine. I've always had a very good immune system, and I don't think I've had a flu shot in a while. I also know many of my friends at school who have had [H1N1] It only lasts about 10 days and what I would be worried about most would be the time off training."
DES MCANUFF, artistic director of Stratford Shakespeare Festival
"Absolutely. This is not only to protect myself, but I come in contact with a lot of people and I feel a responsibility to protect them. I only hope others are doing the same for my loved ones and me!"
JIAN GOMESHI, host of CBC Radio's Q.
"Like many Canadians, I'm just trying to catch the latest line on the sickness named from swine. But I really don't plan on doing anything different. I get a yearly flu shot at work. I will endeavour to get that. Otherwise the safest option appears to be avoiding any form of contact with any other humans. Ever."
BRIAN BEDFORD, Stratford Festival actor and director
"Absolutely. Isn't everybody? I think it's an absolute must and I plan to make every effort to get it before I get on a plane next week, though I realize it takes a week or so to become effective."
MATTHEW GOOD, musician
"Yes, I am going to get it. Having just had pneumonia, and because I fall into the high-risk category being that I have sarcoidosis, it makes sense. You come into contact with a lot of people on tour so I figure at this point it's better to be safe than sorry. Mind you, that doesn't mean that I'll be 100 per cent protected, but as I said it can't hurt."
MENDELSON JOE, folk artist, musician
"I won't be taking the H1N1 vaccination. My doctor has convinced me to take the normal seasonal flu shot, but normally I don't like taking any kinds of drugs or any of that stuff. It reduces my ability to fight it by myself. A healthy person can do that."
ANNABEL LYON, author, The Golden Mean
"I am planning to get the shot, because my family doctor (who I've been seeing since I was a child) is recommending it. I definitely wash my hands a lot more and carry hand sanitizer in my purse. And buffet food makes me a little more nervous these days - I try to avoid it."
ANDY SYLVESTER, director, Vancouver's Equinox Gallery
"I have never subscribed to anything like that in my life, but I am getting it. I don't know why. I think I've been watching too much TV."
VERA FRENKEL, artist
"I'm not impressed. My impression is that the government's mishandling is causing more fear than the flu itself. I will get the shot, but I'm not panicking."
MAX DEAN, artist
"I'm not getting it. I spend most of my time by myself, so I don't think it makes sense. But I'm going to wash my hands a lot, and gargle with hot salt water, and I think we're also supposed to nose gargle if we can -- whatever that is. Also, hot fluids are good, so it's an excuse for more coffee."
MATTHEW TEITELBAUM, director, Art Gallery of Ontario
"Yes, I'll be seeing my doctor next week. We'll be setting up a clinic for our employees at the gallery."
MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN, opera singer
"I don't really have enough information about it to make an educated decision. [But]I'm generally quite germophobic so if the general consensus (along with the opinion of my family doctor) swings in favour of the vaccine, I'll probably get it."
DR. VINCENT LAM, author of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures and co-author of The Flu Pandemic and You. He got his shot on Thursday.
"The hardest thing of all is to keep things in perspective. The thing that people have to understand is that there are enough shots to go around and people will be able to get the shots in the next few weeks."
ALLAN FOTHERINGHAM, author and journalist
"No, I've never been so healthy since I was 18. I play tennis three mornings a week. I don't need anything. Besides, I almost died two years ago because of a fuck-up in a hospital. I went in for a colonoscopy and got a superbug because people don't wash their hands. They gave me last rites three times."
WILLIAM THORSELL, CEO, Royal Ontario Museum
"I get the flu shot every year … and the H1N1 vaccine is just another flu shot. The only issue is that they're not offering it in clinics inside the building. So the question is only if I'll take the trouble to line up somewhere. I'm not going to get up at 6 a.m. to get in front of the line to get a flu shot. If it's convenient, I'll do it, and if it's not, probably not."
TEWANEE JOSEPH, executive director of the Four Host First Nations at the 2010 Olympics
"After a family discussion we decided to get the shots for our children as soon as possible - and when the public health officials give the green light [for adults not in a high risk group]my wife and I will get them too."
BRAMWELL TOVEY, music director, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
"Yes, I will be having the vaccine - one of my kids has already had it. Why? Because vaccines save lives. I fly a lot and airline cabins are wonderful places to catch germs - it would be sheer lunacy not be vaccinated.
"Last week I reckon I shook the hands of over 200 people - I spoke at community events, schools, and of course, at concerts - I have chapped, rough hands because I wash them every five minutes, or use cleansers. I've always been fastidious about that.
"However, from next week, we're going to 'knuckle tap' or 'elbow tap' each other on stage - when I come on I'll knuckle tap our concertmaster - normally he and I shake hands about 6-8 times on stage every concert. My daughters' football teams have stopped doing high fives and now do elbow tapping or knuckle taps.
"Our concertmaster, Dale Barltrop, said to me today that he thinks it'll make us look cool - something has to ..."
STURLA GUNNARSSON, filmmaker
"I've already had the swine flu. I'm going to be the last man standing. … It was miserable. … It's just the flu, a nasty flu. My wife and my son and I all had it [in September] We had a sick household."
DON CARMODY, film producer
"I contracted malaria on a film shoot in northern Thailand a number of years ago and since then the flu has caused me to have serious relapses. I always get the flu shot.
"I also offer it to any cast and crew I may be shooting with in the fall as a preventative measure, no mater where I am. It's cheap insurance."
CAMERON BAILEY, director, Toronto International Film Festival
"Like everyone, we're talking about that damn virus at home and at work. Carolynne and I have six-month old son, Tate, at home. He's just on the borderline of the age when kids can be vaccinated, so do we get him jabbed or not? Just one of many questions we have. Is hand sanitizer safe for a baby who puts everything in his mouth?
"Is the vaccine necessary for Carolynne, me or both of us? TIFF's human resources department sent out notice this week that we'll have vaccinations in house as soon as they're available, likely mid-November. I'll be there with my sleeve rolled up. I've never gotten a flu vaccine in my life, but the sudden death of people who appear to be otherwise healthy has me spooked, and now that I'm a father I'd rather not take chances.
"I also find myself spritzing sanitizer a few times a day, and following HR's rules for hygiene. Good thing the festival's over and I don't have to kiss so many cheeks.Our main aim now is to protect our baby. I can't imagine how it must feel to lose your child to this."
DON TAPSCOTT, author, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
"I'm in Asia right now so it's on my mind. Many people are wearing masks and there is a lot of discussion about contingency plans and business continuity and such. I am a believer in science, and I don't subscribe to any government conspiracy theories about vaccines.
"So of course I'll get the vaccine. I'm working on a new book with a deadline looming and I'm also travelling a lot, so I can't afford to be sick for a day, let alone a week. Besides I think I have a responsibility to my family and fellow humans to not be passing along dangerous viruses to them."
ANDY BARRIE, radio host, CBC Toronto
"I'll get the shot because:
1. I trust my doctor to do the due diligence on this one; she says do it, I'll do it.
2. It's a little like second-hand smoke: if I decide to accept the danger of smoking, I'm imposing that decision on anyone who shares my space. Same with the vaccine. If I don't get it, and get the flu, and give it to you, I've made the decision for both of us. That's why this is a public, and not only a private question."