Hundreds line up for free swine flu shots in South Florida

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By: Fred Tasker on 2009-11-12
Miami Herald

You’d think Jonas Brothers tickets were going on sale the way people started waiting in line in the dark at 6 a.m. Wednesday. But, no, the attraction was swine flu vaccine.

 

By 9:30, half an hour before the mass vaccination clinic at the Miami-Dade Youth Fair pavilion in West Miami-Dade was supposed to open, 160 people were in line, so they let them in early. By 10 a.m., 400 awaited the vaccines.

 

Ana Borge, 42, of Miami, showed up at 6 a.m. to get vaccines for herself and her sons, 12-year-old Christopher, 11-year-old Jonathan and Anthony, who is 8.

 

``I think it’s very important,’’ she said. ``I’ve heard about people with complications, even people who have died.’‘

 

``I wanted to get here early because I knew there would be a line,’’ said Janet Pino, 33, of Miami, who also came at 6 a.m. with her parents, Felipe and Hilda Pino. ``I want my vaccination because I’m going to Barcelona for Christmas.’‘

 

On Wednesday, which is Veterans Day, the Miami-Dade Health Department was offering free H1N1 vaccinations until 6 p.m. at two sites: its downtown clinic at 1350 NW 14th St., and mass clinic at the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center Fuchs Pavilion, 10901 Coral Way.

 

By mid-day, the department announced it would not take additional clients at the Fair site, and estimated 2,500 people would be vaccinated at the site by the end of the day. The downtown clinic remains open until 6 p.m.

 

The department could offer shots at the mass clinic because H1N1 swine flu vaccine is beginning to flow more freely, with nearly half a million doses in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Miami-Dade now has received 299,400 doses. Broward has received 195,000 doses.

 

Swine flu vaccine is in supply free at the five Miami-Dade County health clinics and 12 Federally Qualified Health Centers listed on the health department website at dadehealth.org. The other Miami-Dade clinics are closed for the holiday.

 

The Broward Health Department was closed Wednesday for Veterans Day, but it has opened a High Risk H1N1 Vaccination Clinic at its Northwest Health Center at 624 NW 15th Way, Fort Lauderdale, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

 

Supplies are also arriving in the offices of 716 private Miami-Dade physicians who have registered with the Florida Shots program to give immunizations.

 

Vaccines go first to OB/GYNs and pediatricians and family practice doctors who serve patients at high priority to get the vaccines. That includes pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, people between 6 months and 24 years and people age 25 through 64 who have chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

 

On Wednesday, Walgreens pharmacies in Miami-Dade that have Take Care clinics had a few doses of H1N1 vaccine on sale for $18 a dose. By next week, vaccines also should be available at CVS pharmacies, Navarro, Publix and Winn-Dixie in Dade, she said.

 

University health clinics are receiving vaccines for use only among students and faculty.

 

Broward County has allocated 80,000 of its 195,000 doses to public and private schools, the rest to private doctors, universities, hospitals for their healthcare providers and emergency first-response personnel, in addition to its high-risk clinic. Commercial pharmacies and supermarkets do not yet have the vaccines, said Candy Sims, health department spokeswoman.

 

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