Placer County Health and Human Services’ Public Health Division has received the first significant shipment (nearly 22,000 doses) of H1N1 flu vaccine in both nasal mist and injectable formulations but has not received additional shipments to allow us to hold community clinics.
These doses the county does have are being used to accomplish the following:
- In collaboration with superintendents and principals of schools, Placer County is implementing school-based vaccine clinics in every school district in the county. These clinics began on November 2nd. We anticipate that all school-aged children will have the opportunity to be vaccinated at no cost in one of these clinics by December 17th.
- Assure that hospitals and those involved in emergency response will be able to vaccinate their staff and higher risk patients.
- Assure that obstetricians, pediatricians, and family practice physicians have the opportunity to request vaccine from Placer County in order to vaccinate their higher risk patients.
The majority of these doses will be used in the school-based clinics. Parents have received, or will be receiving, information from schools regarding the vaccine and the dates and times of clinics, and will need to give permission before their children may receive the vaccine. These clinics are free of charge and are open only to the school children.
Placer County will also make vaccine available to the general public at a series of community clinics. These were originally scheduled to begin after December 2nd, based on projections for arrival of additional vaccine, and they will also be free of charge.
However, as of November 30, the county does not have adequate vaccine to hold community clinics. Additionally, some news media may have received erroneous information about a Rocklin clinic. The county is not holding a community clinic in Rocklin on Dec. 1.
Dates and details of the county's community clinics are not yet available This information will be provided to the news media and posted on the county web site, www.placer.ca.gov, as soon as it becomes available. The county will also send an e-newsletter to anyone interested in receiving this information. You can sign up for this FREE e-newsletter on the county web site.
However, considerable information about H1N1 is available on the web site.
“Because of the excellent coordination and support among healthcare providers, dozens of volunteers, schools, Placer County Superintendent of Schools Gayle Garbolino-Mojica and the county Office of Education, emergency responders, community organizations, and many other partners, we have been able to begin vaccinating those most vulnerable to H1N1 in our community,” said Dr. Richard Burton, Placer County Public Health Officer. “As vaccine availability increases in the coming weeks, so will our efforts to make it available to everyone that wants to be vaccinated.”
Placer County highly values efforts of those residents that have already volunteered to help with the county’s flu clinics. Additional volunteers are still welcome and needed to help our community to get vaccinated! Both medical professionals and non-medical professionals are encouraged to submit applications. Applicants will be matched according to their skills and availability, and training will be provided. To sign up or obtain information, please visit the Placer County H1N1 web page and click on the links under the “Volunteers Needed for Vaccine Clinics” section.