Posted on Wed, Nov. 11, 2009

If you've been waiting to vaccinate your 5-year-old or teenager for H1N1, now's your chance.

Starting Thursday, the Sedgwick County Health Department's H1N1 vaccination clinic will begin serving people from 6 months to 24 years old.

The clinic at the Wichita Mall, 4031 E. Harry, had been open only for those most at risk: health care and emergency medical professionals, pregnant women, children 6 months to 4 years old and children 5 to 18 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk for the flu.

In addition to those groups, the clinic now will serve:

* People 6 months to 24 years old

* People who have contact with and are caregivers of infants younger than 6 months

* People 25 to 64 who have chronic medical conditions or compromised immune systems

County commissioner Karl Peterjohn said he was glad more people will have a chance to be vaccinated against H1N1. He mentioned at a recent meeting that Kansas seemed to be behind the East and West coasts in immunizing larger groups of people.

"I'm glad we're getting up to speed," he said.

Janice McCoy, health protection coordinator for the county, said the county had received just more than 37,500 doses of the vaccine. On Tuesday, it received another 17,300 doses.

Of the 37,500 doses, roughly 20,600 went to providers such as doctor's offices and hospitals. About 14,800 doses were held back for health department clinics. About 4,600 doses have been administered to people at clinics, and 2,000 were administered to emergency workers.

About 10,300 of the 17,300 doses received Tuesday will go to providers. The remaining doses will be held back for health department clinics.

McCoy said the Wichita Mall clinic is running smoothly. The average wait has been about 15 to 20 minutes when there's been a line outside the clinic doors, McCoy said. The Wichita Mall clinic is closed today in observance of Veterans Day. It will reopen and serve people on the expanded priority list at these times: 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday or until the vaccine runs out.

The county also is offering one-day mobile clinics. Last week, 63 people were vaccinated at clinics in Goddard and Cheney.

Mobile clinics were held Tuesday in Park City and Valley Center.

A clinic will be open 1:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Mulvane First Baptist Church, 1020 N. Second St.

More mobile clinics are planned.

"When we have mobile clinics, we'll try to let people know in advance that we'll be coming to their communities," McCoy said.

School-based clinics will be open at Benton, Kensler, McCollom and Peterson elementary schools beginning this week. The health department plans to expand clinics at schools as more vaccine becomes available.

The county doesn't know how much more of the vaccine it will receive.

"Every week we are told how much we'll get for the next week. Once we have that information, we meet with a committee to determine who to serve," she said. "Now we're getting to the point where we have enough vaccine where we can start opening up to enough target groups."

McCoy emphasized that people who have flu-like symptoms should not come to a clinic.

"If they look like they're not feeling well, we ask them to please go home and come back when they feel better," McCoy said. "It's better to go ahead and stay home and not make other people ill when you're sick."

Reach Deb Gruver at 316-268-6400 or dgruver@wichitaeagle.com.