Cook County expands H1N1 vaccinations

Cook County is expanding its H1N1 flu vaccination program to high schools and day cares, officials announced Wednesday.

The county Department of Public Health started high school vaccinations in Calumet City earlier this week, and plans to give out more vaccines tomorrow in Oak Lawn.

Day-care vaccinations are expected to start the week after Thanksgiving, but spokeswoman Amy Poore could not say when high schools or day cares in the Northwest suburbs would get vaccines.

So far, officials have vaccinated 30,000 grade-school students in 11 working days since starting that program in Palatine.

Vaccinating that many students in that time was a "great success," Stephen Martin, the department's chief operating officer, said.

But members of the public continue to be frustrated at the difficulty in getting vaccines outside of the few school districts chosen so far, particularly for children with illnesses that put them at risk for serious flu complications. Waits for appointments can last an hour on the phone, and now extend into January.

Cook County has received a total of 184,500 doses of vaccine in six different categories, administered depending on the patient's age, medical condition and other factors. Of that, the health department has issued only 6,250 doses at appointment-only and walk-in clinics and to health department workers.

Continuing vaccination plans through Dec. 18 call for allocating 69,500 doses for schools and 9,800 for appointments and walk-ins.

Officials said they've shared 21,700 doses with hospitals, other local health departments and obstetricians in response to the nationwide vaccine shortage.

For general information, see cookcountypublichealth.org.