Mass swine flu vaccination to be held at EMU Convocation Center next Thursday
A mass swine flu vaccination clinic will be held at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center next Thursday for Washtenaw County residents in the highest priority groups.
The county health department said Wednesday it was canceling all previously scheduled school-based vaccination clinics after hundreds of residents flooded the county’s first vaccination clinic earlier this week.
The county said it was reworking its original strategy to have several smaller clinics over the next few weeks in favor of larger, more central locations that would have more parking and volunteers.
A total of 4,000 vaccinations will be available at this clinic, rather than 1,000 like Tuesday's clinic. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the convocation center at 799 North Hewitt Road in Ypsilanti.
Residents are still being told they should be prepared to wait, dress for the weather and bring any food or water they might need.
“Mass vaccination is the most efficient way of getting scarce vaccine into high priority populations,” Diana Torres-Burgos, the county health department medical director, said in a release. “H1N1 vaccine is still limited to high priority groups, and we want to make that process as expedient and safe as possible.”
The highest priority groups include:
• Pregnant women.
• Household caregivers children younger than 6 months.
• Children between the ages of 6 months and 4.
• Children and adolescents ages 5 through 18 who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications.
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient care.
The vaccinations are available for free. Individuals within the priority groups must live, work or attend school in Washtenaw County.
The county has said it will not require documentation of underlying health conditions, but health care workers should bring some sort of documentation about their employment.
Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.
Comments
SMOKEYBOB
Sat, Oct 31, 2009 : 3:59 a.m.
I for one will not be able to get there in time because I will not be getting out of Radiation Therapy until 9:45 and by then the line will be so long it would be useless for me to try to stand that long. It seems to me they should have some sort of PRE-REGISTRATION to qualify for this shot.
davecarraz
Fri, Oct 30, 2009 : 1:10 p.m.
Typical government ran healthcare. How about giving out numbers and scheduling those numbers so people do not have to stand in a line in the bad weather. I can't wait for Obama to make all of my healthcare work like this.
pegret
Fri, Oct 30, 2009 : 11:49 a.m.
I don't feel that waiting in line with 4000+ people for several hours is a very good option for someone who is pregnant and has a small child. In the midst of this outbreak, it seems that the likelihood of being exposed at the 'clinic' could be pretty high. Also, the ones most likely to need the vaccine asap, are probably also the most susceptible. I just hope the majority of healthy folks will understand the importance of letting those with high risk factors have a chance at what is available now.
KJMClark
Fri, Oct 30, 2009 : 6:44 a.m.
Some people see the "boogeyman" every time someone mentions government. The only problems here was the CDC not listening to the vaccine manufacturers and the companies being 'yes' men. A few people at the CDC seem to have wanted to hear a certain amount of vaccine, even though the manufacturers pointed out several times that they were having problems making this vaccine. I don't see how this problem applies to anyone else in government. And last I checked, all of the companies having trouble meeting their targets are private companies. One problem with pre-registering people is that some people will try to game the system. It's easier to verify that someone is supposed to be in the line when you can actually see them. As they noted in the coverage earlier this week, there were some people playing 20 questions about how they could get a shot. Anyone can claim they will have a child with them and get a number. Once they have a number, it will be much harder to tell them they aren't eligible the day of the clinic. I do wish people would stop going to work when they're sick. Where I work people have sick leave, but they're still coming to work coughing like crazy. Studies show that if you're coughing, you're contagious. This is an article at CBS's website pointing that out: http://tinyurl.com/ykzdfv2. It's no wonder that it's spreading so fast. Let's just hope this flu stays mild. Eight weeks to go to the end of our local outbreak.
ConcernedTaxPayer
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 7:33 p.m.
Looking at how poorly the whole manufacturing and distribution of the H1N1 vacine has been handled by the federal government, makes one cringe when you try to fathom how they will fare with the massive reform of the entire health care system. If they can't get the vacine process streamlined, how efficient do you think they'll be with effective health care reform? The H1N1 debacle is proof positive that government is not the right change agent we need controlling our lives. Their 'success' in running the US Postal System, Medicare, Cash For Clunkers and many other programs certainly does not bode well for health care reform
Chanchito
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 5:21 p.m.
I'm very glad that the health department has decided to stage this clinic at a location and with supplies that make more sense. Last Tuesday around 3pm my wife and I spent at least one hour in traffic to find out that a sign outside the school read "Clinic is at capacity. Check back at 6." When my wife decided to check back around 5:30pm, they told her that they had run out of vaccine.
Tony Dearing
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 3:12 p.m.
The error in the map has been fixed.
tidge
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 2:33 p.m.
You may want to double-check your Google Map. The current marker appears to point to Ypsi High. The story clearly states North Hewitt as well. IIRC, the correct address is 799 North Hewitt Road
grs
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 2:16 p.m.
I'm glad to hear the Washtenaw County Health Department has reworked their plan. It makes more sense to vaccinate before the flu hits. The more time passes means the more likihood of people coming in contact with the virus. The quicker the better. Seeing as how these clinics are preventative measures for illness, how they were initially planned out, and how the public responded, it doesn't seem like a bad idea for county health officials to brush up on their emergency preparedness, response, and management. Ideally, multiple clinic locations on the same day would work best. It would cut down on crowds and contact between potentially ill (and not just H1N1) high risk people. But this central location releasing what limited quantity of vaccine is available to the high risk population is much better than stringing out multiple small clinics over weeks.
girlChris
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 12:56 p.m.
It would be pretty easy for the county to dole out pre-registration wristbands or vouchers or whatever to pediatrician, OB and family practice offices who will cover the greatest percentage of high-priority cases and allow them to pass the vouchers out to their patients...this way too you don't run into people falsifying information about the health and wellness of their school-aged children because they don't want to get stuck with a sick kid who might otherwise fight it off pretty well. I'm pregnant and have a 14-month old child in daycare. This new baby will arrive in December at the heat of all flu season madness and I'm trying to do the most I can to protect him and my suppressed immune system before he arrives. Looks like I'm taking Thursday off work to try and get the shots for us. Sounds awesome. Too bad my doc hasn't been able to get her hands on any...
Rork Kuick
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 12:22 p.m.
Good stuff goblu6. The problem is likely the cost and know-how to get something like that done in just a few days. It would likely require a lottery system to not have chaos in getting the tickets, meaning you'd have to inform winners. Not-so-hard if we all read email perhaps, but that's not true. I wonder what the demand from qualifying people is expected to be, if that was estimated, and how. If it's not that many more than the available doses, perhaps by the 3rd small clinic, the chaos would have ended.
goblu6
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 11:53 a.m.
I'm just wondering why, if demand is far greater than supply, the health department doesn't use some form of preregistration so that everyone would know in advance whether they will have any chance of receiving the vaccine or not. For example, if you have 4,000 doses, then signup 5,000 people (from the priority groups) and give them a number (or wristband like some concert ticket sales). If you don't have a number, you know you won't get vaccinated (at this clinic), but at least you won't have to spend the night, or early morning hours, waiting outside the Convocation Center wondering if you will get a dose of the vaccine. What am I missing here? Seems like the Convocation Center, while addressing the parking issue, still has the potential for long lines and uncertainty about receiving the vaccine, unless you are willing to lineup many hours before the clinic opens.
ladybug
Thu, Oct 29, 2009 : 11:23 a.m.
looks like they learnt a lesson from Tuesday. It was a nightmare trying to pick my daughter up from school. And I have to say seeing police lights outside of my daughter's school made my heart sink and I really didn't like that feeling!