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Clinic has flu vaccine left over
Turnout was lower than expected for yesterday's drive-through, flu-shot clinic
Date published: 10/24/2009
BY JIM HALL At flu-shot clinics earlier this week in Stafford County, the H1N1 vaccine was scarce, and hundreds of people who hoped to get the shots went away unhappy. Yesterday the opposite happened. At a flu-shot clinic at Stafford Regional Airport, thousands of doses of the seasonal-flu vaccine went unused, and most people sailed through the line with little or no wait. Both vaccines have been hard to find, and officials aren't sure why one was more in demand than the other. Still, about 850 people drove through the airport yesterday, rolled down their windows and stuck out their arms to get a free flu shot. About 3,000 doses were available. The drive-through clinic was sponsored by the Virginia Department of Health and Stafford County as a test of emergency readiness. This was the fifth consecutive year that officials have staged a mass vaccination clinic. Officials said they were pleased with the exercise, even if the turnout was lower than expected. "We haven't had as many cars as we'd like, obviously, but I think we've shown that this works," said Dr. John Petrasky, director of the Rappahannock Area Health District. Willard Sawyer of Stafford was first in line when the clinic opened. He arrived at the airport at 4:45 a.m., three hours early. "I've been looking around" for the vaccine, Sawyer said. "It was pretty hard to find." Joanne Ramos had a different experience. She drove from Fredericksburg soon after the start and had almost no wait. Total time on site, from registration to vaccination: 15 minutes. Drivers went through one of seven lanes, and vaccinators descended on their vehicles from both sides. "Alcohol, shot and Band-Aid, then they're on their way," said one nurse. Amanda Martinez drove from Spotsylvania with three family members. "I just heard about this yesterday," she said. Andrew Robinson Jr. arrived on his Yamaha motorcycle from Fredericksburg. He slipped his left arm from his jacket, and Dr. Lou Massad, one of the volunteers, gave him the shot. Robinson said he gets the flu shot every year. Organizers had planned to end the clinic about 11:30 a.m. but then extended it to 2 p.m. "We wanted to give more people an opportunity to come and get vaccinations," said Cathy Riddle, spokeswoman for Stafford County. Petrasky, the health director, said he was pleased with the turnout of volunteers and with the airport site. "The setup works," he said. Petrasky said if the Health Department ever gets a sufficient quantity of vaccine, he could envision a similar mass vaccination clinic for the H1N1 shot. Jim Hall: 540/374-5433
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 10/24/2009
Aren't sure why one is in demand?
(posted by
fugyou
, Oct. 25, 2009 5:42 am)
Maybe it's because we're all being told we're gonna die if we don't get our kids the H1N1 vaccine? Of course the one that caused our President to declare a national emergency isn't available....
Call the Super Target at Rt 17 Rt 1
(posted by
grillwagon
, Oct. 24, 2009 9:40 pm)
They have a nurse giving flu shots. They still may be doing that.
I Missed It !!!!!
(posted by
BLK
, Oct. 24, 2009 5:43 pm)
Does Anybody Know of a Clinic or Doctor in Town Who is Giving
Seasonal Flu Shots... I keep calling places and seem to just Miss Out,, A lot of offices are Now Out !! Where Can I get a Shot? Does Not Need to be a free shot...
My Bad
(posted by
MasterT
, Oct. 24, 2009 4:48 pm)
It was for the seasonal no H1N1. Sorry.
Seasonal vs. H1N1 is the reason
(posted by
wsloftus
, Oct. 24, 2009 3:58 pm)
The way I read the article, the shot at the airport was the "regular" annual flu shot, NOT the H1N1 shot that people waited in line for at the various schools this week. The annual flu shot is readily available through multiple sources. Only the H1N1 is in short supply.
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