Kent County rolls out reservation program for H1N1 vaccine

KENT COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A leading government health figure says that tests on millions of people who have received the H1N1 flu vaccine show that it is effective and safe.

Doctor Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Health said Tuesday morning on The Early Show that people shouldn't worry about the vaccine. Dr. Fauci pointed to a study of pregnant women, saying that more than 90 percent of those who got the vaccine had an acceptable response to it.

Health officials now say that pregnant women need only one dose of the vaccine, while some younger children may need two.

The Kent County Health Department has scheduled three, appointment only, H1N1 flu clinics for November. Those clinics will take place over three Saturdays, and are open only for people in the high-risk groups.

Kent County is going to handle 15,000 reservations over several days to get people their shots. They say it's a way to get people what they need and avoid long lines in the cold.

As Tuesday rolled along, the number of reservations shot from 600 to 1,200, to 1,800 in a matter of hours as people took advantage of the opportunity to schedule their H1N1 flu shots ahead of time.

"Taking reservations would be a great way to do it and 211, thankfully, jumped right on board," said Birdie Bereza of the Kent Co. Health Department.

Officials are asking people who need H1N1 shots to call 211, and in the call center the lines were tied up all day long as people tried to get their name on the list.

"Essentially the first question being asked is are you a Kent County resident, and then do they belong in one of the risk groups," said Bob Haight of the United Way.

The risk groups are key, Kent County officials only want a select few people to get immunized first. That list includes pregnant women, caretakers of children under six months of age, those aged six to 24, and those aged 25 to 64 with a high risk of medical complications from the flu.

Newschannel 3 asked how the public could be assured that those who aren't at risk will be prevented from jumping the line, and we were told it's a little bit of the honor system at work.

"We're not asking everybody who comes in to prove they have asthma or prove that they have this or that," said Bereza, "I think it's really important for people to follow these guidelines."

Experts say senior citizens haven't been hit as hard with H1N1 as have children and pregnant women, but they say the elderly could and should get both the H1N1 and seasonal flu shots.

Newschannel 3 has also been told by health experts that there should be enough of the H1N1 vaccine soon.

"We haven't heard anything to refute the fact, we will hopefully have everything we need to vaccinate everybody who wants to be vaccinated," said Bereza.

The reservation program, which was rolled out on Tuesday, is only for those who live in Kent County.