By RORYE O’CONNOR
rorye.oconnor@register-news.com
MT. VERNON — Hundreds of Mt. Vernon parents and children lined the halls of the District 80 Primary Center to get the H1N1 vaccine Thursday evening.
Jefferson County received 1,000 doses of the vaccine in late October and organized several clinics, with Thursday’s as the first, reserved for District 80 students. Parents and guardians of District 80 students were sent paperwork to complete before coming to the clinic.
Children played and waited — mostly patiently — in the long, roped-off lines that wrapped around the inside of the Primary Center with volunteers posted along the lines to direct.
Jefferson County Health Department officials were unsurprised by the large numbers of parents who brought their children to be vaccinated, said Judy McLoughlin, health educator for Jefferson County Health Department.
“We’ve been getting lots of phone calls in the past few weeks,” she said.
Phyllis England, who brought her grandchildren, District 80 students, to get the inoculation, said she was worried about the virus.
“I don’t know how it’s gonna affect (the children) later,” she said.
Brande Cassens, who brought her four children to the Primary Center to be vaccinated, said she was less concerned about H1N1 than she would have been if her children were still very small.
“My mom has worked for the health department since I was little,” she said. “She lives in Florida and she said there’s a panic there for trying to get the vaccine, and she said if I get the chance, to get up there and get (the vaccine).”
Some parents said they weren’t exceedingly concerned about H1N1, but chose to bring their children to be inoculated just in case.
“I’m not too worried,” said Ania Jones, who came with her two children and her sister to be inoculated. “My mama got (H1N1) a month ago and she’s still alive.”
Parents waiting in line praised the county health department’s response time upon receiving the vaccine doses.
“I think they responded pretty quick,” said Samantha Campell, mother of three children in District 80 schools. “It takes time to get to everyone, but Jefferson County responded quick.”
Campbell said though she’d just arrived around 5 p.m., the lines were moving along speedily “considering everyone here.”
The doses not used during Thursday’s clinic for District 80 students will be used at the remaining clinics — there will be doses left over, McLoughlin said.
Remaining clinics include one scheduled for Saturday at the health department, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for CDC-designated high-risk populations, and two scheduled for Opdkye-Belle Rive students on Nov. 10 — one from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Belle Rive Grade School; and one from noon to 2 p.m. at Opdyke Grade School.
High-risk populations are defined as pregnant women; people who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months old, such as parents, siblings, and daycare providers; healthcare and emergency medical services personnel; people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years of age; and those over the age of 25 to 64 years old who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications.
Additional clinics will be scheduled once the health department receives more vaccine doses.
Those with questions about the remaining clinics may contact the Jefferson County Health Department at 244-7134, or on the Web site at www.jeffcohealth-.com.
