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H1N1 Flu Vaccine To Be
Available Throughout the Community
Monday, October 12, 2009 - Boulder, CO - More than 90
Boulder County healthcare providers have signed up to
provide the H1N1 influenza vaccine to their patients. In
addition, the vaccine will be available at a number of local
pharmacy outlets. The vaccine will be available to residents
at higher risk of severe illness from the virus later this
month, and then available to all residents as more vaccine
becomes available. “Sadly, H1N1 influenza
took the life of a third Boulder County person last week,”
said Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH)
Executive Director. “My hope is that we can avoid any more
tragedies like this by getting those most vulnerable
vaccinated as soon as vaccine is available.”
The most recent victim, a 4-year-old male, passed away on
October 8th. He became ill with flu-like symptoms in
September and was later admitted to Children’s Hospital. The
child had mild underlying medical conditions.
Boulder County Public Health officials are
encouraging residents to ask their health care providers if
they will be providing the vaccine.
“By getting the vaccine from their regular
health care provider, patients can discuss any special
health considerations they have and can be monitored for
rare adverse reactions” said Zayach.
For those people who do not have a regular
health care provider, Safeway, Walgreens, and Walmart have
agreed to provide the vaccine. It is likely that the vaccine
will be available at other retail pharmacies as well, but
this has not yet been confirmed. Children between the ages
of 6 months and 18 years can receive vaccine at regularly
scheduled BCPH
immunization clinics.
“The vaccine will be delivered in
continuous small shipments, the first of which arrived last
week,” said Murielle Romine, BCPH Communicable Disease and
Emergency Preparedness Program Coordinator. “It’s important
that those people at higher risk of disease or complications
receive the vaccine first.”
The initial doses of H1N1 vaccine are in
the form of intranasal spray and were distributed to Boulder
County Hospitals, Wardenburg Health Center, and BCPH to
ensure the following priority groups are vaccinated:
-
pregnant women
-
people who live with or care for
children younger than 6 months of age
-
health care and emergency medical
services personnel
-
persons between the ages of 6 months
through 24 years of age
-
people from ages 25 through 64 years who
are at higher risk for novel H1N1 because of chronic
health disorders or compromised immune systems.
Multiple clinics are being planned by
Kaiser, BCPH, and other metro-area health agencies to make
the vaccine available to the priority groups. BCPH is also
working closely with other groups in the community to ensure
that the most vulnerable will have access to vaccine.
Colorado is allocated to receive more than
one million doses of H1N1 vaccine, scheduled to arrive
throughout October and early November. Public Health
officials expect there to be an adequate supply to vaccinate
all those who wish to receive the vaccination.
The H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu
vaccine.
Residents should continue to check the
Boulder County Public Health website at
www.BoulderCountyHealth.org for information about
community clinics or to sign up to receive regular updates
and notifications. Additional flu clinic information is
available at
www.ImmunizeColorado.com |
