Bring Your Kids for Swine Flu Vaccine, Carry Them Too
No strollers allowed inside clinic
By ASHA BEH
Updated 12:40 PM EDT, Sat, Oct 24, 2009
There is a 90-minute wait time for the swine flu vaccination clinic in Fairfax County where pregnant women and children have been told to come to the Fairfax County Government Center to get the H1N1 vaccine until 5 p.m. today.
One hour outside the center, and 30 minutes inside, according to Fairfax officials.
But once you step inside the doors of the Fairfax County Government Center, strollers are not allowed.
The lines for the mass clinic, which is expected to vaccinate about 12,000 people against the swine flu, started at 8 p.m. Friday night.
So get out your umbrella and hold your kid with the other arm, but leave the stroller at home.
Perhaps the people who run the Fairfax County Health Department have super kids, who can stand in line for hours and who won't be uber cranky and/or crying by the time they do make it to get the flu shot or mist.
Sure, some men stood in line to hold a place for their children. But what about the single parents? They probably couldn't leave their kids alone overnight. We can just imagine them saying, "Hey kids, I'm going over to the clinic. When you wake up, eat some Cheerios and then drive yourselves over here. I'll be waiting..."
Meanwhile, Virginia health officials have been asking healthy adults to step aside so children, pregnant women and people with underlying health problems can get the first chance at the H1N1 influenza vaccine, the AP reported.
Virginia's received less than 400,000 doses of the vaccine due to manufacturing delays and with 3.1 million Virginians fitting into high-risk categories, there's a wide mismatch in vaccine supply and demand, according to state health commissioner Dr. Karen Remley.
That isn't stopping people from New York and Rhode Island from driving to the D.C. area for shots. But maybe the no stroller rule will keep them away from Fairfax.
First Published: Oct 24, 2009 10:41 AM EDT
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
