San Juan Basin Health Department is holding its first H1N1 flu vaccine clinic on October 22nd. This clinic is ONLY for parents and siblings of babies under six months old and daycare providers who care for babies under six months old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated this as a high risk group since babies younger than six months can’t be vaccinated against the flu, yet are at high risk for serious complications. “We believe our community understands the importance of utilizing the small amount of vaccine we’ve received for those individuals most at risk,” said Lynn Westberg, San Juan Basin Health Director. “Patience is key in this early stage of vaccination delivery and distribution all over the country,” Westberg continued.
The H1N1 Flu Vaccine clinic on Thursday, October 22nd will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the La Plata County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall. The vaccine is free. This clinic will primarily have just FluMist nasal vaccine available. The Flu Mist vaccine is for healthy individuals between 2 and 49 years of age who are not pregnant and do not have chronic health conditions.
Pregnant women are another high risk group. San Juan Basin Health has begun to distribute vaccine for this population to registered area providers who will administer the vaccine. Pregnant women who want the vaccine should contact their healthcare provider directly. They can also call the Health Department at 247-5702, ext 1520 or visit www.sjbhd.org for future clinic dates and locations.
“While these early stages of the vaccine roll-out are still far from predictable in terms of amounts and types of vaccine received,” Westberg said, “please be assured that we will be communicating with the public as soon possible regarding confirmed clinic dates and which populations will be offered the vaccine when.”
For more information about H1N1 you can visit
www.sjbhd.org or 247-5702, ext. 1520; or call the La Plata County Infoline at 385-INFO (4636) ext. 2271 for a listing of all flu-related audio messages. There are live operators available at the toll-free Colorado Helpline by calling 877-462-2911.
