According to Thomas Williams, media relations specialist for the health department, the county has around 100 nasal mist H1N1 vaccines left from its first allotment from the state. These vaccines will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis to healthy youth between the ages of 2 and 24 beginning on Monday.
Children are a high priority group for the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Williams said this is the reason why the county is offering the remaining vaccines to children.
But only healthy children are allowed to take the vaccine. The nasal mist cannot be taken by people with chronic diseases or breathing troubles. It contains a small amount of the live virus, which people with low immune systems may not be able to handle.
The H1N1 vaccine will be free to patients, because the federal government has covered the cost of the vaccine. The health center is asking people to bring their insurance card with them if they have one. Some insurance companies may pay an administrative fee. But both the insured and uninsured are exempt from having to pay a fee out of pocket for the vaccine.
The health center received its first batch of H1N1 vaccines at the beginning of last week. The center set aside this batch for health-care workers, as was advised by the state.
Williams said the county had a decent response from health-care workers, but around one-third of the original 300 doses is still left, leading to this decision.
“Instead of hanging on to those, we wanted to release those to the public,” Williams remarked.
Some health-care workers may have passed up the first vaccines because their offices may soon get allotments, Williams pointed out. The county came up with a list of doctors’ offices that met the state criteria to keep vaccines. Those on the list that were willing to offer vaccines to patients will receive them in the future.
Williams said the list of health-care providers who will get H1N1 vaccines cannot be made available at this time. He said many qualifying practices decided to let the health department handle the vaccines.
“But Surry County has a good covering of sites for the vaccine,” he said.
Williams realizes that some people in the county may be skeptical of the new vaccine and choose not to get it. “This vaccine is safe and effective ... This is an FDA-approved vaccine, and it’s gone through clinical trials,” he assured.
The center expects vaccines to soon begin trickling in on a weekly basis. The state has let the health center know that as November nears it will be prepared to release more vaccines.
Williams said, “Our goal is to make sure that all residents of Surry County have the opportunity to get the vaccine.”
For more information on the H1N1 vaccine, call the county’s information line at 401-9000.
Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.
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