Washtenaw County may allow more groups to get swine flu shot with leftover vaccine
Michaela Glenn, 9, of Ann Arbor gets a Band-Aid after receiving the H1N1 vaccination at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center on Thursday morning.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Swine flu vaccinations in Washtenaw County may open up to a broader group after a clinic today only distributed a little more than half of its available vaccine, county officials said.
The swine flu, or H1N1 flu, virus vaccination clinic was held at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center Thursday. The clinic was drastically different than the first countywide clinic last week - but still drew the familiar faces of concerned parents eager to get the vaccine for their kids.
At first glance, the clinic went much more smoothly and efficiently than a previous vaccine clinic. But the county health department will be evaluating whether the fear of long lines kept eligible people away, whether supply has simply caught up with demand or whether some other factor impacted interest in the vaccine, said spokeswoman Susan Cerniglia.
It will likely serve as a model for the next clinic planned for Nov 14.
Those eligible for the clinic today included pregnant women, medical workers, caregivers of children younger than 6 months, children ages 6 months through 4 and kids ages 5 through 18 with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of complications from the flu.
The county may consider returning to the original Centers for Disease Control guidelines, which allow all young people ages 6 months to 24 years and those ages 25 to 64 with underlying health conditions to receive the vaccine at the next scheduled flu clinic, Cerniglia said.
Eligible attendees today had to show up to the clinic to get a bracelet to link them to a dose of the vaccine and a certain time of day when they could receive it. There were 4,000 doses available.
Health officials had canceled previously scheduled school-based clinics in favor of larger, central vaccine clinics after county residents overwhelmed the county's first vaccine clinic.
Early today, there were long lines at Convocation Center to get the first wristbands for eligible individuals. During many parts of the day, the line wrapped around the hallway that rings the center's auditorium inside and extended outdoors. Many arrived prepared with chairs and diversions for their children.
While many who arrived early complained about the wait, they praised the organization of the clinic. Later in the day, the line dwindled to fraction of the wait time.
Wristbands will probably be used again, but the health department is looking into ways to get them out more quickly earlier in the next clinic since more residents arrived early to line up, Cerniglia said.
Ann Arbor resident Natalie Raeburn said she tried to stop at the county's first vaccine clinic last week, but ran into trouble parking and getting into the clinic, which was flooded by worried parents with their children and other members of high-priority groups.
"It helps it's well organized," Raeburn said today as her family stood in line with their wristbands inside the convocation center. She and her husband, Dana Raeburn, brought their three kids - ages 1, 10 and 11. The two older children have asthma.
People wait during a mass H1N1 vaccination at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center on Thursday morning.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Among parents they know, there have been mixed feelings - from skeptism to outright alarm - about how big of a threat the H1N1 virus might pose to their kids. The Raeburns said they were convinced to come out by national statistics about how many children in the U.S. have died from complications related to the H1N1 virus.
Ann Arbor resident John Yi arrived shortly before 5:30 a.m. to get wristbands. His wife Kathleen Yi brought their 2- and 3-year-old sons, Daniel and David, a bit later to wait. They were second in line.
"I just want to take precautions with everything going on these days," Kathleen said. "If you can get it, get it."
They were in good spirits and waited inside the convocation with snacks and a portable DVD player, just in case, for the boys.
After waiting in line for several hours by the time the clinic began at 9:40 a.m., they were ready to leave about 15 minutes later.
A few issues cropped up during the day. For instance, although more volunteers were available to help get information out and distribute the vaccines, some backups in getting paperwork occurred.
Several people who were not part of the listed high priority groups showed up at the clinic this morning - some with doctors notes and some pleading their case to get a shot due to an underlying illness that puts them at greater risk of having complications from the flu. Some were surprised or disappointed to be turned away.
Comments
Rork Kuick
Mon, Nov 9, 2009 : 10:41 a.m.
Do I believe any of that Sealed post? Moulden and Mercola are both conflicted, and not trustworthy, and that is saying it politely. "Quack" is the more common summary. The internet can contain anything, and browsing google hits is hardly research without critically appraising the content. The scientific literature is good - at least it was peer-reviewed, which makes it harder to spread rumors. You will find quacks publish there very little, actually it's never, since their claims would not pass even mild review. It still manages to sway a few though.
greener_tea
Sat, Nov 7, 2009 : 5:14 p.m.
It's good that Thursday's clinic went smoothly but half of the vaccines going unused for an entire week is too high a price to pay. Washtenaw County is doing nothing for another week while 2,000 H1N1 Flu vaccines await administration. How many people will die or suffer unnecessarilly because of the COUNTY'S FAILURE TO ADMINISTER HALF OF THE SUPPLY?(!) Shame on you Washtenaw County 'Health'.
jess7787
Fri, Nov 6, 2009 : 11:46 a.m.
How frustrating. I went to the first clinic and waited for hours with a new born and 2 other small children only to be turned away. I stayed away this time because I couldnt have my infant wait outside and didnt want to take the other 2 out of school again. I had no idea that there were going to be wristbands, and I never would have guessed that there would be vaccinations left over. Will the health department give out the left over vaccinations with an appointment? Do we have to wait until the next clinic?
samshoe
Fri, Nov 6, 2009 : 10:14 a.m.
I got to the clinic with my two year around 5:45 p.m. I was impressed by how organized the whole process was last night. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. We walked from station to station and I was out of the clinic in approximately 30 minutes. Kudos to all those who worked the clinic.
ladydi
Fri, Nov 6, 2009 : 9:35 a.m.
This was the most organized event I've ever participated in. The wristband allowed us to bypass any lines and each stop was very organized and our paramedic, Ben, was so wonderful with my son, he didn't even feel the needle go in! Thank you so much to everyone involved in distributing these shots!
southpaw
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 9:36 p.m.
The great and not-so-great thing about the current health care bill being pushed forward, is that it was NOT Obama's plan. He left it to the various committees in congress to come up with a plan. He has not twisted arms or demanded anything, just SOMETHING! Get something agreed upon, and that is asking a lot when there are people out there who would rather keep the bi-partisan bickering going rather than actually work together to HELP our country. I am semi-happy with the results so far, after what appears to be a serious debate over the elements of a good bill, something is moving forward. Good Job Democrats, Republicans, and Independents! You're almost there.
curious
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 5:53 p.m.
Since there is no line and leftover vaccine, does anyone know if the other CDC high priority group, adults with chronic illnesses, can go to the last hour of the clinic to receive their shots?
AmandaLea
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 5:16 p.m.
Hate to tell you cinnabar, but even at the doctor's office, you're only going to get the shot if you're high risk. That's how it works right now because of the shortage. Stop trying to bring President Obama in on a discussion he has absolutely nothing to do with.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 4:45 p.m.
ToddAustin Maybe you should just read whats going on now, prioritizing of health care, if the public health department hadn't got involved, I could just go to my doctor and get the vaccination. But now that the gov't is involved the people who they see fit get the vaccination. No lies here.
Alan Holsztynski
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 4:14 p.m.
Kudos to the Health Department. This was indeed a well-run clinic, and it was clear that a lot of thought and preparation went into it. The biting wind was tough and the high demand made for long lines, but the staff did a great job of mitigating both.
ToddAustin
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 4:10 p.m.
We arrived at 10 and were given wristbands for the 12-2 period. Returning at 12:30, the line wrapped around the front of the building. A gentleman exiting the building after his vaccination informed us that he had waited 4 hours for his shot, so 75 minutes seems more than a bit off. We decided to wait until the supply improves and passed our bands to a woman arriving with two small children. The people lined up are almost all families with small kids, as they are the population most at risk. Older people are not suffering from H1N1 in the same way and are not generally in schools where infected children may congregate. Cinnabar should do his/her homework before regurgitating lies collected on infotainment programs.
Kristin Judge
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 2:27 p.m.
I would like to thank the County Public Health Department for hearing the concerns raised by residents who attempted to get vaccinated at the prior clinics. Our staff responded and found a better way that kept residents out of the weather and cut down the time spent in line. It took many hours and 100 volunteers to get ready for today's clinic. Over 4,000 people will be able to get the vaccine today for FREE because of this professional effort. The Washtenaw County Health Department has a number you can call with questions. (734) 544-6700 After hours number for communicable disease reporting: (734) 891-4327 This website is being updated daily: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/public_health/ The Public Health Director is presenting an update at every County Board meeting that is shown live on Channel 16 the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm. Thank you to all the residents who are patient and understanding that our staff is working every day to help us with this crisis. Kristin Judge, Washtenaw County Commissioner
ladydi
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 2:10 p.m.
I just received a wristband for my son and will return at 5:00 p.m. so he can get his vaccination. I was told that with a wristband, the wait is 3 hours.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 12:17 p.m.
Pete thats to bad this info wasn't out in time to save you the trip. I think old people better get used to this kind of treatment in case Obamacare gets passed. Why bother wasting $10 vaccination when your just gonna die anyways.
Pete
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 11:01 a.m.
Thank you, Amalie
Pete
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 10:48 a.m.
Please post a list of the "high-priority groups". It might have saved me a long drive, tough parking, and a long walk, only to find that the higher age groups are not "high-priority". Odd, since we older folks are more likely to die if hospitalized for H1N1. We may not be quite so likely to get it, but when we do get a bad case, we are more likely to die, rather than eventually getting better.