City expands vaccine sites
Special to The American
The Saint Louis County Department of Health will be offering free H1N1 flu vaccinations to county residents at five locations on Saturday, December 5.
The five clinic locations on Saturday will be:
* Ferguson-Florissant School District Administration Building, 1005 Waterford Dr., Florissant
* Kirkwood High School, 801 West Essex Ave., Kirkwood
* Parkway-Central High School, 369 North Woods Mill Rd., Chesterfield
* Ritenour High School, 9100 Saint Charles Rock Rd., Breckenridge Hills
* Rockwood-Summit High School, 1780 Hawkins Rd., Fenton.
“This will be another great opportunity for those in a priority group to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Michael P. Williams, director of Communicable Disease Control Services for the County Health Department.
“And now that the supply has increased, we will not only have more vaccine available at each of our events, but we will be able to target a larger group of residents than previously.”
The five priority groups being targeted for the December 5 events are:
• pregnant women;
• youth from 6 months of age through 24 years of age;
• caregivers of and those who live with infants under the age of 6 months;
• adults from 25 years of age through 64 years of age with an underlying health condition that makes them more susceptible to flu complications; and
• emergency medical service personnel and healthcare workers.
At least 15,000 doses of vaccine will be available at the Saturday clinics – 3,000 at each of the five sites. A mixture of H1N1 shots and intranasal mist will be available at each site. The type of vaccine used will be based on what is medically appropriate for each patient.
The vaccination events are for the residents of Saint Louis County, and proof of residency may be required, such as a driver’s license or a utility bill. Participants are asked to consider wearing clothing that will allow easy arm access to help speed the process.
Adults and youth aged 10 and over require one dose of vaccine to achieve immunity; children under 10 years of age require two doses, spaced at least four weeks apart.
“For those with children under the age of 10 who need two doses, this will be a great chance to get that second booster dose needed for full immunity,” said Dr. Williams.
Those wishing to be vaccinated will need to obtain a line ticket from one of the five clinic locations prior to being admitted. A drive-through distribution area for handing out line tickets will be set up at each of the five locations. Line tickets will be available at each location starting at 7 a.m. The vaccinations will be administered between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.SaintLouisCountyFlu.com.
City expands vaccine locations
The City of St. Louis Department of Health is preparing to expand its H1N1 vaccination clinics to the estimated 145 local public, private, parochial and charter schools as more vaccine becomes available from the Centers for Disease Control.
The Department of Health is working with St. Louis schools (public, private, parochial and charter) and the CDC to effectively vaccinate this priority group, starting with the youngest school-age children.
“Our public health surveillance indicates that the flu is disproportionately hitting school age children from 4 to 14,” said Pamela Walker, director of Health.
“So, as we get more vaccine, we will be focusing on grade schools and middle schools with vaccination clinics. When we are finished with them, we will move on to high schools.”
Because the amount of vaccine is limited, the Health Department has been focusing on people who are at greatest risk – children under the age of six, older children with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, and first responders.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact their child’s school for information relating to their school clinic and to get a permission slip. All children under 18 will require a signed permission slip to receive the vaccine.
“If we receive the amount of vaccine promised, we will be able to stay on schedule to offer vaccines to every elementary and middle school student who wants it by Christmas,” Walker said. “But, when and how much vaccine we get is out of our hands.”
City residents who fall into the highest at-risk category are still encouraged to contact their physician for information on visiting one of 54 clinics (including 10 hospitals) in the St. Louis area.
For more information call 314-612-5400.