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Free swine flu clinics on Saturday open to more people

November 5th, 2009, 6:00 am · 28 Comments · posted by Courtney Perkes

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The Orange County Health Care Agency has expanded eligibility for three upcoming  swine flu clinics  to include children ages 2 to 18 and health care and emergency service workers who have physical contact with patients. Both  nasal spray and shots will be available Saturday in Rancho Santa Margarita, Fullerton and Cypress.

The clinics come as Orange County on Wednesday reported another H1N1-related fatality, bringing the total to 24, including four children and two pregnant women. The two mist clinics held last week were only for kids 2 to 9 and parents of infants younger than 6 months.

Health care and emergency workers must bring proof of employment. Caregivers of babies younger than 6 months will also be eligible Saturday. Pregnant women should call the Health Care Agency Health Referral Line at 800-564-8448 to schedule an appointment for a preservative-free (thimerosal-free) H1N1 vaccination.

The free Nov. 7 clinics will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:

Cox Communications
Patio Area
29947 Avenida de las Banderas
Rancho Santa Margarita

Fullerton College
Building 840
321 E. Chapman Ave.
Fullerton

Cypress City Hall
City Hall Breezeway
5275 Orange Ave.
Cypress

In other H1N1 news, vaccines are running low at Kaiser Permanente,  Orange County’s largest HMO, which is expected to provide about 10 percent of the local supply.

Spokesman Scott Smith said Kaiser has been vaccinating pregnant women, children 6 months to 18 years, and caregivers of infants. Once the supply increases, other at-risk groups will be given the vaccine.

“We’re like everybody else — we’re running out,” Smith said. “We are running very low on injectables and mist.  We’re letting our members know.”

Kaiser insures more than 400,000 residents. Smith said Kaiser doesn’t know when the next shipment will arrive.

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 28 Comments

  • kingo says:
    November 5, 2009 at 7:25 am

    P A R A N O I A

  • Cooper412 says:
    November 5, 2009 at 9:29 am

    So I’m confused….”Caregivers of babies will also be eligible on Saturday” - Caregivers of babies 6 months and younger?

  • James says:
    November 5, 2009 at 10:27 am

    Why are they not giving vaccine to kids between 6 months and 2 years?

    • perterbed says:
      November 5, 2009 at 2:02 pm

      Amen James,

      This make me so angry as there is this gap of those 6 months to 2 years who can’t get a shot and they are in the high risk group. And, they won’t give shots to parents of kids beyond 6 months. Its double danger. I’ve had three people in my office come down with swine flu (its was worse then they thought by the way) and my wife works in a hospital but not in “direct contact with patients”. And our at home nanny cleans medical offices at night.

      The young children are the most vulnerable. Why can’t the children be first, no exceptions.

      Apparently in San Diego people are just saying, ” i am a nurse, etc.” and they are getting the shot without true verification. Shameful.

      And for those who think this is paranoia, its nut just about health concerns. Just ask my friend’s family who were out of work for almost a month with swine flu for three members of the family consecutively.

  • kim says:
    November 5, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    Perhaps those giving the shots at these clinics should consider asking for proof of citizenship. The last one my elderly and ill father went to turned him away but gave the shot to a younger, non-American, who did not fit any of the criteria for shots, no questions were asked. Disgusting!!!

    • Courtney Perkes says:
      November 5, 2009 at 3:59 pm

      Where was that clinic?

    • Erika Chavez, Staff Writer says:
      November 5, 2009 at 4:14 pm

      I personally don’t carry proof of citizenship around with me, and I would have been surprised to have it questioned based strictly on my appearance or name.

      It also stands to reason that flu and illness do not discriminate, regardless of whether or not you’re a citizen. More people getting shots means less people getting sick and passing the illnesses around to others.

      What reasons did they give for turning your father away? Was this a seasonal flu shot clinic or an H1N1 clinic?

  • kim says:
    November 5, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    When and where will the H1N1 shots be given to the very ill and elderly , they are at risk too. I am sick and tired of admitted illegals just showing up and being given shots and/or nasal mists with no questions asked and then hearing them bragging about what they got away with. No one is addressing the frail, elderly population in OC or L.A. Doctors don’t have the vaccines yet for distribution yet either I was informed, when I called the OC Healthcare Agency.

  • Cooper412 says:
    November 5, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    I agree. Why aren’t we giving the vaccine to all children? Not just children under 6 months or over 2 years. The children require 2 doses 1 month apart.

  • kim says:
    November 5, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    Erika Chavez(Staff Writer)……This was an H1N1 clinic. The admitted illegals who bragged about getting away with not “fitting the H1N1 criteria” for vaccines should not have had the opportunity to get it if they were not entitled to it. The lady in front if us in line spoke Spanish and told a few of us what had happened….it was very disturbing.

    Bottom line….they ran out of doses mainly because those getting them were qualified to get them. If illegals who aren’t in a high risk group want shots let them go back to Mexico and wait in line.

    Try to stick with reporting instead of making biased comments.

    • Erika Chavez, Staff Writer says:
      November 6, 2009 at 1:55 am

      I actually don’t report about H1N1; I write about real estate for The Register. I am commenting as a pregnant woman who was lucky enough to get a shot through the county, when my OB/GYN hasn’t yet received any doses.

      My understanding is that children, younger adults and pregnant women are more at risk for H1N1 infection than the elderly, which is one of the reasons why this flu strain is so odd. That’s why the CDC has made age the main criteria for who gets first dibs at the shot.

      http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm

      I do hope your father (and everyone who wants a shot) will eventually be able to get one. The more shots are distributed, the more protected all of us are. It’s unfortunate that the drug companies haven’t been able to manufacture and distribute them faster.

    • Landon Hall says:
      November 6, 2009 at 8:38 am

      Kim, what clinic was this? The subject of this post was the HCA’s clinic for pregnant women. Are you saying that an illegal woman at the clinic you were at was only pretending to be pregnant, and that she acknowledged these facts — that she was both illegal and faking her pregnancy — to others in line? If it was another H1N1 vaccination clinic, which one ran out of dosages?

  • Annie says:
    November 5, 2009 at 11:11 pm

    Everybody should get the vaccine as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter whether the elderly or the young get it first. Everyone has a right to live a long life and be healthy.

  • liz says:
    November 6, 2009 at 6:09 am

    I myself am a Healthcare worker and my co-workers and I refuse to get the H1N1. They have no idea what the future side affects are . I have heard stories about adverse reactions to this immunization, and I will not have my kids get it.

  • liz says:
    November 6, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Landon go to the Centers of Disease and Control website , look up vaccines and H1N1. It has a list of reasons people should not get the shot dated August 2009.

    There is not enough known about this vaccine period. It was made in a rush, who knows what will happen in a year, or right after the shot is given?

    I guess it is all up to the individual. Good luck people . And I have one suggestion…….. WASH YOUR HANDS ……. ALOT!!!!!!

    • Landon Hall says:
      November 6, 2009 at 2:30 pm

      Liz, I think what you’re referring to is this part of the CDC’s FAQs on swine-flu vaccines. It has a list of people who should not get the vaccine (not reasons why people shouldn’t get it).

      Those who should not get the vacc include:
      * People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
      * People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
      * People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
      * Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group).
      * People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated).

      To see the whole FAQ list, go here:

      http://www.cdc.gov/Features/H1N1Vaccine/

  • Michelle says:
    November 7, 2009 at 10:54 am

    I have H1N1 and I not only washed my hands continually, I carried around lysol wipes with antibacterial. I also used them in grocery stores, etc. The problem is the lack of vaccine, Tamiflu, etc. Add to this, the refusal of local schools to put out a newsletter to parents. My child attends a school in north OC that will not/has not admit to H1N1 being present in the school (three teachers have been diagnosed). Shame on those that could help and will not. Knowledge is power.

  • Heathert says:
    November 8, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    “Orange County on Wednesday reported another H1N1-related fatality, bringing the total to 24, including four children and two pregnant women.”

    What about the other 18 people? Why don’t you report on the other 18? We’re making a huge fuss over the need for children and pregnant women to get this vaccine, but who is actually dying? In the OC, only 25% of the deaths fall into this high priority category. What did the others have in common?

    Look at this CDC page with stats concerning H1N1: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/surveillanceqa.htm . Note in particular graphs A, B and C. Children and people under 24 are certainly getting H1N1 at a higher rate. They are also being hospitalized at a greater rate, but closely review Graph C: Novel H1N1 U.S. Deaths, By Age Group and you will see the rate of death is relatively low for people under 24 (age 0-4, 2%; age 5-24, 16%) compared to adults aged 25-49, 41%.

    Shouldn’t priority be given to age groups that are actually DYING from H1N1?

  • Norma says:
    December 11, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Is anybody tracking those who have had adverse affects after they had the vaccine??? I would like to know how many and where. It’s the season when people trave outside the country and then return. Watch this swine flu go ballistic AFTER the holidays!