More H1N1 clinics
City, county health offices announce datesBy Evan Bevins, ebevins@mariettatimes.com
Fact Box
Upcoming H1N1 clinics
Today - County health department administering vaccinations at Salem-Liberty and Lowell elementary schools; Marietta City Health Department at Marietta Middle School.
Thursday - (County) Beverly-Center Elementary and Fort Frye High School; (city) St. Mary School.
Friday - (County) High-risk groups from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at health department office, 342 Muskingum Drive; (city) Ewing School.
Nov. 16 - (County) Belpre City Schools.
Nov. 17 - (County) Frontier Local Schools; (city) Marietta Middle School (if necessary).
Nov. 18 - (County) Belpre City Schools and high-risk groups from 1 to 6 p.m., health department office.
Nov. 19 - (County) Frontier Local Schools; (city) Marietta High School.
Nov. 20 - (County) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., health department office; (city) Marietta High School.
H1N1 vaccinations will be administered today at Salem-Liberty and Lowell elementary schools, the first of several clinics announced by the Washington County Health Department Monday.
The department - and most area schools - will be closed Wednesday for Veterans Day. On Thursday, student vaccinations will resume at Beverly-Center Elementary and Fort Frye High School.
Vaccinations will be offered at Belpre City schools Nov. 16 and 18 and at Frontier Local schools Nov. 17 and 19.
County Health Commissioner Kathleen Meckstroth said the schedule was determined by the number of permission slips turned in in each district and the available supply of vaccine.
The department will also be offering an H1N1 clinic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at its offices at 342 Muskingum Drive, Marietta. This one is open to the most at-risk groups, including children ages 6 months to 18 years who are not receiving vaccine at school, pregnant women, health care workers and emergency medical service personnel, adults caring for children under the age of 6 months and people under the age of 64 with chronic medical conditions.
Those clinics will continue from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays while vaccine remains, Meckstroth said.
As with the Marietta City Health Department's clinics, when future vaccinations are available will depend on the supply.
"I have enough (vaccine) to do what I've got scheduled," Meckstroth said.
The city health department is administering vaccines at Marietta Middle, St. Mary and Ewing School this week.
Local health departments and hospitals receive their H1N1 vaccine from the Ohio Department of Health, which placed an order Friday for 434,800 additional doses. More than 1.4 million doses have been received statewide, according to a release from the state Health Department.
The county health department's planned H1N1 clinics will place its regular senior satellite clinics in Beverly, Little Hocking, New Matamoras and Churchtown on hold through Dec. 10.
Some people have wondered whether an individual who has apparently already contracted the H1N1 virus should still receive a vaccination.
Meckstroth said that's up to the individual, because, while getting the virus does provide a person with some immunity, not every case of the flu being diagnosed right now is H1N1.
"The fact is that there are other strains of the flu circulating now," she said.
Individual cases are no longer being tested due to the cost of the test and the fact that H1N1 and other strains of flu are treated in the same way. Meckstroth said it will not hurt someone who may have had H1N1 to still receive a vaccination.
