By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-12-09 14:00:17 | Word Count: 742
You finally can get an H1N1 swine flu shot, no matter who you are.
The Pueblo City-County Health Department has scheduled two swine flu clinics for the general public, not just for people with a higher risk for the disease.
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The first clinic will be held Saturday and the second will be held Dec. 12.
The health department is offering the vaccine shots and doses of nasal mist for free, according to spokeswoman Sara Bruestle. You do not need to bring identification, an insurance card or anything else. The vaccines are being paid for with federal funds given to the health department. The department has held several clinics since the H1N1 swine flu broke out this fall. But those were available only to people in high-risk groups because of the limited supply of vaccine.
That's not a problem anymore, Bruestle said. The department can give up to 2,500 doses of the vaccine Saturday, either by shot or by nasal mist.
The department will be getting another shipment of the vaccine next week, so there will be plenty of vaccine for the Dec. 12 clinic too, she said.
Thousands of people turned out for earlier flu vaccine clinics and the health department expects large crowds for the two Saturday clinics, Bruestle said. The department has hired security and organized its paperwork and vaccination areas at the schools to keep people from being crowded together during the cold and flu season. People who want a vaccination should come to the main doors and be prepared to stand in line. There will be no seating. Anyone who needs oxygen or a wheelchair should bring those, although some wheelchairs will be available.
The average wait for a vaccination has been between 45 minutes and an hour, Bruestle said. She suggested bringing a snack or eating something before coming and to remain patient.
She cautioned people against lining up too early, saying some people have come as early as 7 a.m.
"We don't open the doors until we are ready at 10 a.m.," she said. "We ask that they don't show up that early (at 7 a.m.), because it'll be very cold."
The lines usually have tapered off after lunch, Bruestle said, so she suggested not coming until later.
Jennifer Ludwig, head of the health department's prevention and preparedness department, said some people have opted for the nasal mist to avoid the pain of a shot. Others have asked for a shot because of concerns that the nasal mist contains live flu virus, though it is very much weakened.
People with asthma should not have the nasal mist, she said, because it can trigger an asthma attack.
Neither vaccination is recommended for people who are ill, who have certain underlying medical conditions, who have had a live vaccine in the last 30 days or who are allergic to eggs.
The clinics would be a good time to get the second dose recommended for children 9 and younger who already have received one dose. Parents also can call and make an appointment to get a second dose at the health department's office, 101 W. Ninth St., by calling the Public Health Flu Hotline at 583-4440 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Bruestle said the department will have signs at schools reinforcing the message.
The swine flu has hit children the most, but Ludwig said you should bring your children even if they've been sick with something this fall or winter. There have been too many varieties of colds and flu going around to know for sure if your child has had the H1N1 flu and "it won't hurt anything to get vaccinated even if they had the flu."
Ludwig said the flu has started to affect more older people, according to informal local and state reports. This is the first chance for those people to be vaccinated.
Above all, health officials asked people who come to be patient. There will be plenty of vaccine and the lines will move along, even if it doesn't always feel like it.
