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ALBANY -- Despite preparations that called for vaccinating up to 4,500 people at the county's largest-ever public health clinic Sunday, there will be plenty left to give back to doctors' offices in need.
County health officials said they took fewer than 2,900 appointments for doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine at the clinic held at the Times Union Center -- leaving about 1,600 doses that will be offered to residents at upcoming clinics and distributed to doctors' offices starting today.
The exact number of shots given out was not immediately available from Albany County officials.
Maribeth Miller, Albany County's assistant health commissioner, said public clamor for the influenza vaccine seems to have quieted down after the county gave 800 doses to doctors' offices in the past few days, and more vaccine appears to be flowing from the state Health Department.
Some people who had made appointments for Sunday called to cancel, saying they were scheduled to already be vaccinated by their doctors.
Organizers took 2,855 appointments for the clinic -- 1,915 from parents of children 5 years and older who have pre-existing medical conditions.
Only county residents considered at-risk of getting H1N1, like children and pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems, were allowed to be vaccinated Sunday.
Production delays slowed delivery of the vaccine to doctors' offices nationwide, and the federal and state government have rationed supplies. Meanwhile, H1N1 has infiltrated the Capital Region and been linked to the deaths of two young people here.
People leaving the clinic Sunday morning, when traffic was heaviest, reported lines moved quickly and that it took them a little more than 20 minutes to go from filling out health forms to having a nurse administer the vaccine. People were funneled in through the main entrance on South Pearl Street, and exited near the Times Union parking garage entrance. Parking in the garage was provided free.
"It was very well-organized, very efficient," said Jennifer Corona of Loudonville, who got a shot for her 14-month-old daughter, Meara Sweet, about 15 minutes after the clinic opened. "We weren't quite sure what the turnout would be. We heard not everyone signed up."
About 70 county health workers staffed Sunday's clinic, along with 80 volunteers. People who attended first filled out health forms and then handed them off to a medical screening table, where people were asked questions like, "Are you allergic to eggs?," from which the shots are made.
Nurses at vaccination tables held up red flags to show who was free to administer vaccine. Forms were dropped-off at the end near the exit.
Heather Comparetta of Guilderland Sunday got the vaccine for herself and her 3-year-old son, Vincent. Comparetta works as an assistant in a dental office and qualifies as a health care worker in need of the vaccine. Her doctors' offices kept telling her the shot would come but it never did.
"I was more concerned for him than for me," Comparetta said about her son.
Lauren Stanforth can be reached at 454-5697 or lstanforth@timesunion.com.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories...#ixzz0X2ljwKLh
County health officials said they took fewer than 2,900 appointments for doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine at the clinic held at the Times Union Center -- leaving about 1,600 doses that will be offered to residents at upcoming clinics and distributed to doctors' offices starting today.
The exact number of shots given out was not immediately available from Albany County officials.
Maribeth Miller, Albany County's assistant health commissioner, said public clamor for the influenza vaccine seems to have quieted down after the county gave 800 doses to doctors' offices in the past few days, and more vaccine appears to be flowing from the state Health Department.
Some people who had made appointments for Sunday called to cancel, saying they were scheduled to already be vaccinated by their doctors.
Organizers took 2,855 appointments for the clinic -- 1,915 from parents of children 5 years and older who have pre-existing medical conditions.
Only county residents considered at-risk of getting H1N1, like children and pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems, were allowed to be vaccinated Sunday.
Production delays slowed delivery of the vaccine to doctors' offices nationwide, and the federal and state government have rationed supplies. Meanwhile, H1N1 has infiltrated the Capital Region and been linked to the deaths of two young people here.
People leaving the clinic Sunday morning, when traffic was heaviest, reported lines moved quickly and that it took them a little more than 20 minutes to go from filling out health forms to having a nurse administer the vaccine. People were funneled in through the main entrance on South Pearl Street, and exited near the Times Union parking garage entrance. Parking in the garage was provided free.
"It was very well-organized, very efficient," said Jennifer Corona of Loudonville, who got a shot for her 14-month-old daughter, Meara Sweet, about 15 minutes after the clinic opened. "We weren't quite sure what the turnout would be. We heard not everyone signed up."
About 70 county health workers staffed Sunday's clinic, along with 80 volunteers. People who attended first filled out health forms and then handed them off to a medical screening table, where people were asked questions like, "Are you allergic to eggs?," from which the shots are made.
Nurses at vaccination tables held up red flags to show who was free to administer vaccine. Forms were dropped-off at the end near the exit.
Heather Comparetta of Guilderland Sunday got the vaccine for herself and her 3-year-old son, Vincent. Comparetta works as an assistant in a dental office and qualifies as a health care worker in need of the vaccine. Her doctors' offices kept telling her the shot would come but it never did.
"I was more concerned for him than for me," Comparetta said about her son.
Lauren Stanforth can be reached at 454-5697 or lstanforth@timesunion.com.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories...#ixzz0X2ljwKLh