ONLINE SPECIAL NEWS FLASH

             Swine flu vaccines, both nasal and injections, will be available at no cost at the Wilkes County Health Department all day Thursday November 5, but there are restrictions on who can get the vaccination.

            “H1N1 flu mist and shots will be available here Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” said Health Department Administrator Jennifer Jackson, RN. “But it’s not available to everyone. We have to go by the strict guidelines on who gets the vaccine first. The H1N1 flu vaccine must first be given to healthy children age 2 and up, plus caregivers and household members of children 6 months and younger, and healthy healthcare workers up to age 49.”

            The H1N1 shots must first go to pregnant women, she said, and people who live with or care for infants under six months. After that, the shots will be made available those age six months through 24 years, then those 24 through 64 with specific chronic medical conditions.

            The flu vaccinations will be administered at no charge, she said.

            “We can only administer it according to these restrictions,” Jackson said, “and a lot of folks will be upset because they’ll be turned away.”

            The good news, she said, is that the H1N1 “swine” flu is no more severe than the seasonal flu, she said, “although we’re seeing gastrointestinal symptoms that usually don’t accompany the seasonal flu.”

            Some private providers already have the mist. MedLink Washington confirmed that they do have the H1N1 flu mist available.

            The declaration of a state of emergency by President Barack Obama, combined with all the news coverage, she said, has caused a few people to panic. “Although there’s no need for panic, people should be concerned enough practice good hand-washing, to stay home when they feel sick and keep their children home from school when they have a fever, and, when they can, to come and get vaccinated.”