Long lines, short supplies at local H1N1 vaccination sites
Published on Wed, Nov 4, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Local News
At 6:30 a.m. the morning of October 31, volunteers arrived at Marysville's Bethlehem Lutheran Church for a swine flu vaccination clinic and found a long line of people already patiently waiting.
According to Tonya Neumann, CPM, the event's on-site coordinator, staff from the Everett Clinic decided to open an hour earlier than the 9 a.m. scheduled time, and in the first 35 minutes they administered 756 doses of the H1N1 vaccine.
Over the course of the day, more than 2,700 people were vaccinated against the swine flu at the Marysville location.
Throughout Snohomish County, the same scenario played out as thousands of residents formed long lines hours before ten H1N1 clinics opened their doors Saturday.
By 10:15 a.m., more than 28,000 doses of vaccine had either been distributed or were allotted to those standing in line. Those not in lines at that time were being instructed to contact their local physician for H1N1 vaccine.
"We anticipated high demand and suspected lines could get long. This morning, it became clear it wouldn't take long to distribute the vaccine," said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, director and health officer of the Snohomish Health District. "Our goal has always been to get the vaccine out quickly to people at highest risk. We prepared for this and now must wait until new shipments of vaccine arrive in Snohomish County."
Snohomish County health officials have worked diligently with the medical community during the month of October to get vaccine to those most vulnerable to the effects of H1N1.
Clinics were held Oct. 24 for young children and pregnant women. On Halloween morning, vaccine was being given to people in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) target groups, plus teachers and professional child care providers.
High priority recipients include pregnant women, young people between 6 months and 24 years of age, those 25 to 64 with chronic health conditions, and health care workers.
"This signals that residents are concerned about H1N1," Goldbaum said. "We will continue to distribute vaccine quickly throughout the county as it arrives."
The CDC is responsible for the distribution of vaccine throughout the country and shipments are arriving weekly. Snohomish County has set a goal of vaccinating 100,000 residents by Thanksgiving weekend. For information, visit www.snocoflu.com.
According to Tonya Neumann, CPM, the event's on-site coordinator, staff from the Everett Clinic decided to open an hour earlier than the 9 a.m. scheduled time, and in the first 35 minutes they administered 756 doses of the H1N1 vaccine.
Over the course of the day, more than 2,700 people were vaccinated against the swine flu at the Marysville location.
Throughout Snohomish County, the same scenario played out as thousands of residents formed long lines hours before ten H1N1 clinics opened their doors Saturday.
By 10:15 a.m., more than 28,000 doses of vaccine had either been distributed or were allotted to those standing in line. Those not in lines at that time were being instructed to contact their local physician for H1N1 vaccine.
"We anticipated high demand and suspected lines could get long. This morning, it became clear it wouldn't take long to distribute the vaccine," said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, director and health officer of the Snohomish Health District. "Our goal has always been to get the vaccine out quickly to people at highest risk. We prepared for this and now must wait until new shipments of vaccine arrive in Snohomish County."
Snohomish County health officials have worked diligently with the medical community during the month of October to get vaccine to those most vulnerable to the effects of H1N1.
Clinics were held Oct. 24 for young children and pregnant women. On Halloween morning, vaccine was being given to people in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) target groups, plus teachers and professional child care providers.
High priority recipients include pregnant women, young people between 6 months and 24 years of age, those 25 to 64 with chronic health conditions, and health care workers.
"This signals that residents are concerned about H1N1," Goldbaum said. "We will continue to distribute vaccine quickly throughout the county as it arrives."
The CDC is responsible for the distribution of vaccine throughout the country and shipments are arriving weekly. Snohomish County has set a goal of vaccinating 100,000 residents by Thanksgiving weekend. For information, visit www.snocoflu.com.
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