News - Local
H1N1 swine flu vaccine priority groups
Posted: Oct 13, 2009 4:15 PM by Bill Folsom
Updated: Oct 13, 2009 4:15 PM
As the impact of H1N1 swine flu continues spreading there are a lot people anxious to get immunized. Health department leaders want to emphasize that the first shipments are for groups considered high risk.
The high priority groups are: health care workers and first responders, pregnant women, caregivers for infants. Children and young adults ages six months through 24 years. Then adults 24 to 64 with aggravating medical conditions, that's people with things like respiratory and cardiac conditions.
Local health departments receive vaccine shipments and decide where they will be distributed in the community. "We're going to prioritize high risk groups first" according to El Paso County Health Department Director, Kandi Buckland, "as soon as we feel we have those covered then we're going to open it up to anyone who wants a shot." Buckland believes eventually there will be enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone who wants to be immunized.
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