First suburban swine flu vaccine injections scheduled
Lake County has scheduled public H1N1 vaccination clinics starting next week, officials announced Friday, and McHenry County has received its first shipment of H1N1 vaccines.
The announcements marked progress in the slow trickle of vaccinations reaching the suburbs, more than a week after vaccines were first available in Chicago.
The Lake County Health Department scheduled its walk-in-only free vaccinations for the public Thursday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, except 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Round Lake Beach, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday in Waukegan, and closed Sunday in North Chicago.
The five locations are: Advocate Condell Medical Building, 1425 Hunt Club Road, Suite 103, in Gurnee, which will also remain open to provide vaccines for several months; Carl Sandburg Middle School gymnasium, 855 W. Hawley St., Mundelein; Round Lake Area Park District Sports Center, 2004 Municipal Way, Round Lake Beach; Waukegan Park District Hinkston Park field house, 800 N. Baldwin Ave., Waukegan; and the Lake County Health Department's North Chicago Community Health Center, 2215 14th St., North Chicago.
Lake County had not received the vaccines Friday, but officials expect them early next week, both in the form of nasal mist and traditional shots. Only the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, will be given at the clinics, not the seasonal flu vaccine.
The vaccinations are meant only for county residents who are in high-risk, priority groups to receive the vaccine: pregnant women; individuals who care for or live with children under 2; those age 2 to 24; those 2 to 64 with chronic underlying medical conditions such as heart or respiratory problems; and health care and emergency medical workers.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that children 9 and younger receive two doses of H1N1 vaccine, separated by three to four weeks. County officials expect to give out those follow-up doses as they become available.
For information, see lakeccountyil.gov.
In McHenry County, the Department of Health got its first 3,300 doses of nasal mist vaccine, which it will administer first to health care workers and emergency medical workers such as paramedics.
Plans are also being finalized for public vaccination clinics in McHenry County for high-risk priority groups, but no times or locations were announced. For updates, check " target="new">mcdh.info.