Updated Nov. 13, 2009
Due to continued production delays and resulting shortages in H1N1 vaccine, the prioritized populations to receive H1N1 vaccine in Pierce County have changed. The following two subgroups have been designated for priority vaccination:
- Healthcare workers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel with direct patient contact
- Pregnant women.
However, medical providers and pharmacists may continue to vaccinate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initial priority populations if they have vaccine available and have met the needs of pregnant women and healthcare workers with direct patient contact among their patient populations. Pharmacies that do not serve a defined population of health care workers or pregnant women have been advised to promote vaccination to these two groups, but may continue to vaccinate the CDC initial priority groups that are listed below.
The CDC initial priority populations are:
- Healthcare/Emergency services workers,
- Pregnant women,
- Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months,
- Persons 6 months through 18 years of age,
- Young adults 19 through 24 years of age, and
- Persons age 25 through 64 with chronic health problems
Please contact your healthcare provider or your pharmacy to see if they have vaccine in stock for you if you fit into any of the CDC initial priority groups.
Individuals
While the H1N1 flu is in various forms of media every day, it is important to understand that health officials compare this pandemic to a moderate flu season. The United States has documented approximately 500 H1N1-related deaths so far this year when nearly 36,000 die each year from the regular flu. We can stay healthy by taking the following precautions we should each year:
- Cough/sneeze into your sleeve
- Wash your hands often
- Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth
- Get plenty of sleep
- Avoid contact with sick people
- Stay home when you are ill
So how do you know if have H1N1? Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and some vomiting/diarrhea -- the same as the seasonal flu.
Seasonal flu shots are already available and the supply is currently plentiful. The H1N1 vaccine is estimated to arrive around mid-October and will be made available to priority groups including pregnant women, caregivers of babies, healthcare workers/EMS, 6 month to 24 year olds and adults, age 24 to 64 with chronic conditions. Two shots will likely be required for the H1N1 vaccine.
Please visit these links for a preparedness checklist and a flu guide for individuals and families.
Schools
* Training Opportunity, October 2, 2009
Updated federal guidelines offer state and local public health and school officials (K-12, public and private) a range of options for responding to 2009 H1N1 influenza in schools. Please click here to access guidelines, templates, planning documents and checklists from the CDC. Guidelines are also available for higher education.
Businesses
During an influenza pandemic, all sick people should stay home and away from the workplace. It is important that businesses have an understanding of their normal seasonal absenteeism rates and know how to monitor these rates through the fall and winter. Business continuity planners should assess their essential business functions now to determine at what threshold of absenteeism those functions would be threatened. Please see this guide for additional information and a communication toolkit.
