H1N1 vaccines available soon

BONNERS FERRY — Sometime after Dec. 12, vaccines for the H1N1 flu should be available for Boundary County’s general population.

“We’re getting quite a few calls,” said Cynthia Taggart, spokeswoman for Panhandle Health District in Coeur d’Alene. “Everybody is waiting. There’s a limited amount of vaccine.”

The health district, H1N1 flu vaccine clinics in Idaho’s five northern counties, had conducted two in Bonners Ferry with a third planned for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 21.

As of Monday, 17 had signed up for the available 60 vaccines for this week’s clinic, Taggart said.

“It wasn’t a huge response in Bonners Ferry,” she said. (The other clinics) “are basically full in Bonner County and we’ve had a huge response from Kootenai County. Shoshone County is sold out.”

Those three clinics were only for pregnant women, people who live with and/or care for children younger than 6 months old, anyone from age 6 months through 24 years, health care and emergency response workers and people from age 25 through 64 with chronic health conditions.

The first to get the vaccines represent groups of people who are at the biggest risk, Taggart said.

PHD announced last week that it is shipping nearly 4,000 doses of vaccine this week to doctors in the five northern counties for patients who fit into the target groups.

Doctors receiving the vaccine include pediatricians, OB/GYNs, family practice physicians, allergists and more.

A public announcement will be made when the clinic will be held for the general public.