Free H1N1 vaccine clinic at Spokane Veteran's Arena - Saturday, October 24

The Spokane Regional Health District is offering free vaccine for about four thousand people who meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) criteria for prioritized vaccination. Only those who are among the CDC's prioritized groups will qualify for the free vaccine.

Dr. Joel McCullough, Health Officer for the Spokane Regional Health District said,"Our goal is to vaccinate as many high-risk people, as quickly as is possible; the move to the arena helps us accomplish that goal."

About four thousand doses of the nasal spray vaccine are expected to be available during the clinic. The Health District hopes to have a small amount of the flu shot vaccine which is suitable for other high risk groups who cannot receive the nasal spray version of the vaccine. No documentation of medical condition or age is required.

Who can receive nasal spray vaccine:

• Healthy people ages 2-24 who are not pregnant
• Healthy adults ages 25 -49 who are healthcare workers OR who live with or care for an infant less than 6 months old

Who can receive the flu shot vaccine:

• Pregnant women, because they are at higher risk of complications from influenza;
• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications, and cannot be vaccinated -- vaccinating close contacts protects infants;
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel who provide direct patient care, to prevent illness and transmission to patients. Illness and absenteeism in this group could impact our health care system capacity;
• All people 6 months to 24 years of age, because the majority of cases have occurred in this age group, and because of the increased likelihood of disease spread in schools and childcare settings; and
• People 25 to 64 years of age who have underlying health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from flu.

Click here for current flu clinic information

As weekly vaccine shipments arrive, they will be distributed to area hospitals, healthcare providers and other venues where priority groups can receive the vaccination. People are urged to contact their healthcare provider to see if they can receive a vaccination at their primary healthcare office.

Once efforts have been made to vaccinate prioritized groups, the vaccine will become available to everyone who would like to protect themselves through vaccination.

The public is urged to continue to check the Health District's website and recorded information line (509) 324-1495. These resources will contain up-to-date information on vaccine availability.