Wake opens week-long H1N1 clinics

Wake County will hold H1N1 immunization clinics for at-risk groups every day this week, and if demand doesn't pick up, the county could soon open the clinics to the general public.

Posted 10:50 a.m. Dec 7, 2009 — Updated 12:48 p.m. Dec 7, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. — Wake County will hold H1N1 immunization clinics for at-risk groups every day this week, and if demand doesn't pick up, the county could soon open the clinics to the general public.

County health leaders said that the supply of the vaccine is becoming more steady, so they can schedule clinics farther in advance.

“For the last two months, we have opened H1N1 vaccination clinics when we received shipments of vaccine,” County Health Director Sue Lynn Ledford said. “The shipments are coming in more regularly now, and we feel comfortable scheduling H1N1 vaccination clinics several days ahead of time."

For now, the vaccines will only be given to those in priority groups: pregnant women, children between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, anyone caring for an infant younger than 6 months, and emergency and health care workers.

Ledford especially urged people to bring their children to the clinics.

"We do have plenty of FluMist," she said. "That's an easy administration for children, and if they have no other health conditions, it's an excellent vaccine for the children," she said.

Later this week, county health leaders said, they could make a decision about opening up the immunization clinics to the public. It depends on how much of the vaccine is used this week and how much the county can expect to receive in the near future.

"We, obviously, don't want vaccine sitting around. We want vaccine in people," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Megan Davies.

County health leaders urged people who aren't in the high-risk groups to also check with their doctors and pharmacies for the vaccine.