By The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says health officials are aiming to inoculate 2.2 million people in Ontario by the end of the week.

She says tens of thousands of Ontario residents have already received the swine flu shot and the plan is to administer the flu shot until "our fridge is empty."

Matthews says she's received reports that waiting times at H1N1 vaccination clinics across Ontario have been considerably reduced compared to last week and in some places there's no wait at all.

She says the number of flu shot clinics across the province has doubled from 50 to 100.

Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, says 20 flu assessment centres are being set up in some communities to relieve pressure on doctors' offices, so people with cough and fever can get medical advice on whether to go home and rest or go to a doctor or hospital, and another 11 of the assessment centres will open by Wednesday.

King says in the vast majority of cases, healthy people who get the H1N1 flu recover quickly and she's urging the public to remain calm, be patient and practise self-protection measures.