Detroit (WWJ) -- Lines formed early Monday morning as some Wayne County residents hoped to be among those receiving H1N1, swine flu, immunizations.
The Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion plans to run a regular weekly schedule of clinics starting Monday.
WWJ CityBeat Reporter Vickie Thomas reports more than a dozen people were waiting in line outside the Grace Ross facility on Greenfield near Grand River more than an hour before the clinic was to open at 8:30 a.m.
The health department clinics will be open from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Along with Grace Ross, Two other clinics are at the city's Northeast location at 5400 E. Seven Mile and at the Herman Kiefer, Pathways Center, 1151 Taylor Street.
For more information on H1N1 clincis in Detroit, call the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion Web by dialing 2-1-1.
WWJ's Ron Dewey spoke with Theresa Sommers, who was among the first in line outside the Wayne County Health Administration Building since Sunday night for her H1N1 vaccine.
"My son has asthma and epilepsy -- I have lupus, which is an auto-immune disease -- and we're at risk. If we were to get the swine flu, it would probably kill us," Sommers said.
At least 70 people braved the cooler temperatures to be inoculated, with thousands of others since last weekend.
Delia Hall of Wayne said she'd rather be better safe than sorry. "You can die from anything... people shouldn't be scared of a vaccination. With this [swine flu] -- your kids can get it, you can get it, anyone can get it," she said.
Some fear among people with pre-existing health conditions getting higher priority there may not be enough of the vaccines to go around.
But Barbara Harris-Ellis, the deputy director for the Wayne County Health Department says they are prepared for as many as 500 people at this walk-in clinic, priority given to those in the high-risk categories.
"Most people know if they have a pre-existing health conditions, or if they fall into the range of a caretakers, most of the caretakers or parents with infants under six months, they come in with the infant." Harris-Ellis says they are getting roughly 10-thousand vaccines on a weekly basis and expects to have an adequate supply.
"We know it is moving pretty rapidly and we're working to make sure there won't be as many cases," she said.
There will be more clinics like this scheduled throughout the flu season, which Harris-Ellis says began in September.
They normally don't get rolling until December.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the following groups receive vaccine first:
- Pregnant Women
- Children six months to five years old
- Caregivers, Parents, Siblings in the home of the child younger than six months old
- Five-year to 18-year olds with underlying illnesses
- Healthcare workers and emergency personnel that have direct patient contact
Over the weekend, more than 20,000 shots were delivered in Oakland and Wayne counties and Detroit. Oakland County Health officials say they were delivering a shot ever five to six seconds.
The Oakland County Health Division reported is has administered vaccines to more than 12,000 southeast Michigan residents so far. Estimates are that, over the weekend, a nurse gave an H1N1 vaccine every five seconds at each location.
According to Oakland County Health Division Director George Miller, the clinic's success rests with the public, as well as Health Division employees.
"The patience of the general public is a big piece of our success," said Miller. "Our Health Division employees have been practicing this for five years - and today, they ran things as smoothly and efficiently as possible."
Click here for more on the swine flu, including information on upcoming clinics.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
