MEDINA TWP. — The next free H1N1 vaccination clinics offered by the Medina County Health Department will be the first for the general public.
The clinics will be noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ohio National Guard Armory, 920 W. Lafayette Road, Medina, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 30 at Brunswick High School, 3581 Center Road.
H1N1 shots and nasal sprays will be available. Colleen Rice, spokeswoman for the Medina County Health Department, said medical workers will recommend which form of the vaccine each person should receive.
Previously, the clinics were offered only for “priority groups” identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health. Clinics were held in Medina County to vaccinate pregnant women, people 6 months to 24 years old, those who take care of babies younger than 6 months, health care providers and adults with chronic medical conditions ages 25 to 64.
Rice said while those who do not fall into the priority groups are eligible for vaccinations at the upcoming events, those who are in the groups will be able to be vaccinated, as well.
“We would still want them especially to get it,” she said.
Rice said the Health Department is anticipating a large turnout at the clinics, many of the 1,600 calls the department has received on its H1N1 hotline since November have been from people who were not in the priority groups. She said each clinic will have up to 2,000 doses of the vaccine available, which she said should be enough to meet demand.
There will be no early admittance or lining up prior to the clinics. Instead, the Health Department is using a ticket system. The department expects to be able to vaccinate 200 to 300 people each hour. It will give out tickets to that many people for each hour of the clinic. Those who have a long wait to be vaccinated can then leave and come back at their call times.
Rice said the department is encouraging Medina County residents to get the vaccine before the holiday season.
“There’s going to be lots of opportunities for this virus to spread,” she said.
Ohio and 24 other states are categorized by the CDC as having widespread influenza activity, whereas 16 states are characterized as having regional activity. Rice said area hospitals are still reporting high flu activity.
“Typically in December we’re not seeing as much flu as we are seeing now,” she said.
She also said the CDC is predicting a 50 percent chance a third wave of the H1N1 will come through the U.S. next year. She said the vaccinations given out this year will be effective against any new waves provided the virus doesn’t change in any way, and “there has not been any indication of that.”
Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.
