Sterling Heights (WWJ) -- Macomb County began providing H1N1 vaccine to residents Wednesday. The nasal spray form of the vaccine will be provided Wednesday and Thursday. Shots will be given on Friday and Saturday.
Pam Dotson of Harrison Township and her family were up at 3 a.m. in order to be the first car in line outside the gates of Freedom hill at 4:30. "Their school was actually closed last year for the swine flu also....so I figured 'let's just go do this," Dotson told WWJ's Ron Dewey.
"I just wanted to get a jump on it," said Denise Mansky of Clinton Township, who works with the public and handles money
as part of her job. "I didn't want to have to wait 5 or 6 hours, whereas I could wait three hours in the morning."
Some people were more understanding of waiting in line outside the gates of Freedom Hill than others, though the gates were opened about 40 minutes ahead of the 9 a.m. start of the clinic. There were about a thousand people in line before the first vaccines were administered.
Deputy Health Director for Macomb County Steven Gold said they were playing catch-up with a virus that is moving faster the distribution of vaccines.
"It's been a terrible disappointment to public health authorities," he said.
"Pharmaceutical manufacturers promised 120 million dosages by mid-October, but the amount and the dates have been going down and becoming more adverse ever since...we're just coping with the amount available and pushing it out as fast as we can."
Macomb County Board Chair Paul Gieleghem Tuesday declared a “County Heightened State of Alert” due to the threat of a flu pandemic. Under the declaration, the county will be preparing for a potential emergency.
“We want to remove bureaucratic hurdles so that local resources can be utilized to the fullest extent, “ said Gieleghem in a statement. “Our priority is to provide as much information as possible and to help ensure that high risk groups are properly informed of all opportunities to seek vaccination.”
The nasal spray will be given to high-priority persons at the following days and times:
FluMist, the intranasal spray form of the vaccine, will be provided at Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights on Wednesday, October 28, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Thursday, October 29, from noon until 7 p.m.
The injectable form of the vaccine will be provided at Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights on Friday, Oct. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Three thousand doses will be available each day free of charge. Pregnant women cannot get the nasal vaccine.
Macomb County health officials say the vaccine will be available through private physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies as more becomes available.
For more information call the Health Department hot line at (586) 466-7923.
Meantime, after delivering 12,000 vaccinations over the weekend, Oakland County Health Division has announced another mass H1N1 flu vaccine clinic on Thursday, October 29, 2009, from 3:30 pm to 9:00 p.m. at James Geisler Middle School at 46720 W. Pontiac Trail in Commerce Township.
Because the supply of H1N1 vaccine is limited, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a target population to receive this limited supply because they have a higher risk for complications.
The target population includes:
• Pregnant women
• Children and young adults 6 months through 24 years of age
• Caregivers for children under 6 months of age
• Adults 25 through 64 years of age with underlying medical conditions
• Healthcare and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers
Oakland County's Flu Shot Hotline is 800-434-3358.
Click here for information from the WWJ Swine Flu Resource Page.
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