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Last updated 1:29 am CT September 06, 2010.
Health Departments Limit Vaccinations To High-Risk Groups
But, the vaccinations aren't for everyone. People who get the sickest typically fall into 5 high-risk categories, and because of the limited number of vaccines, right now the shots are reserved for those at the highest risk.
Getting a shot isn't fun; just ask the little guy with tears in his eyes. But, at John A Logan College, people considered high risk are lining up.
Like Sarina Scott who brought her two little ones...
"My daughter has heart issues. And so her Doctor suggested it. And then- we went ahead and got the second one done too."
Debbie Woodhall says, considering her family's health, the vaccinations couldn't come soon enough...
"I have four teenagers in my home. Three people in my home with compromised lungs and we work with medically fragile children. So we really, we've been waiting and waiting, you know, for Southern Illinois to get it."
"Well, my mom wanted me to get it so I wouldn't get sick," explains Debbie's daughter, Bianca.
Woodhall and Scott fall into what the Centers for Disease Control considers the five high-risk categories:
Pregnant Women
Children between 6 months and 24-years-old
Those who care for infants
Healthcare personnel
And people with underlying medical conditions between the ages of 25 and 64
"We just encourage people that are in those groups to be vaccinated because they are most at risk for getting H1N1," explains Bi-County Health Department's Whitney Mehaffy.
And those are the groups local health departments are limiting vaccinations to...
"Its very important that we get those priority populations that maybe most at risk for H1N1 or flu complications for H1N1 so they can be vaccinated and protected," says Mehaffy.
And, for those who don't fall into those groups...
"I figure if there's a limited amount, that the kids should probably have it first," Scott says, with her little one in her arms.
Officials with Bi-County health department say, while supplies are limited, they are not worried about running out of vaccines for their upcoming public clinics.
Those are scheduled for:
Wednesday: 10 to 7pm at the West Frankfort Aquatics Center
Thursday: 3:30 to 6:30 at the Herrin Elementary School gym...
While Bi-County typically focuses on Franklin and Williamson Counties, officials with the department say, because the vaccinations come from the federal and state government, its open to anyone in the state who fits into the targeting populations.
By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com
Now: 1283758254
