|
Cars line up along Aviation Way at the Stafford Regional Airport for a free drive-through seasonal flu vaccine clinic yesterday. People arrived as early as 5 a.m. for the clinic that started shortly before 8 a.m.
Personnel with the Virginia Department of Health and the Medical Reserve Corps administer seasonal flu vaccine |
BY JIM HALL
At flu-shot clinics earlier this week in Stafford County, the H1N1 vaccine was scarce, and hundreds of people who hoped to get the shots went away unhappy.
Yesterday the opposite happened.
At a flu-shot clinic at Stafford Regional Airport, thousands of doses of the seasonal-flu vaccine went unused, and most people sailed through the line with little or no wait.
Both vaccines have been hard to find, and officials aren't sure why one was more in demand than the other.
Still, about 850 people drove through the airport yesterday, rolled down their windows and stuck out their arms to get a free flu shot. About 3,000 doses were available.
The drive-through clinic was sponsored by the Virginia Department of Health and Stafford County as a test of emergency readiness. This was the fifth consecutive year that officials have staged a mass vaccination clinic.
Officials said they were pleased with the exercise, even if the turnout was lower than expected.
"We haven't had as many cars as we'd like, obviously, but I think we've shown that this works," said Dr. John Petrasky, director of the Rappahannock Area Health District.
Willard Sawyer of Stafford was first in line when the clinic opened. He arrived at the airport at 4:45 a.m., three hours early.
"I've been looking around" for the vaccine, Sawyer said. "It was pretty hard to find."
Joanne Ramos had a different experience. She drove from Fredericksburg soon after the start and had almost no wait. Total time on site, from registration to vaccination: 15 minutes.
Drivers went through one of seven lanes, and vaccinators descended on their vehicles from both sides.
"Alcohol, shot and Band-Aid, then they're on their way," said one nurse.
Amanda Martinez drove from Spotsylvania with three family members.
"I just heard about this yesterday," she said.
Andrew Robinson Jr. arrived on his Yamaha motorcycle from Fredericksburg. He slipped his left arm from his jacket, and Dr. Lou Massad, one of the volunteers, gave him the shot. Robinson said he gets the flu shot every year.
Organizers had planned to end the clinic about 11:30 a.m. but then extended it to 2 p.m.
"We wanted to give more people an opportunity to come and get vaccinations," said Cathy Riddle, spokeswoman for Stafford County.
Petrasky, the health director, said he was pleased with the turnout of volunteers and with the airport site.
"The setup works," he said.
Petrasky said if the Health Department ever gets a sufficient quantity of vaccine, he could envision a similar mass vaccination clinic for the H1N1 shot.
Jim Hall: 540/374-5433
Email: jhall@freelancestar.com
