[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Free H1N1 Vaccine at Health Department

[Press Releases]

For Immediate Release
January 5, 2010
 
Contact: Geni Alexander, Public Information Officer
573.268.6265 or gaalexan at GoColumbiaMo.com
 
Health Department Continues to Offer Free H1N1 Vaccine to All
Residents
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human
Services continues to offer free H1N1 vaccine on a walk-in basis to all
residents at the health department clinic, located at 1005 West Worley
in Columbia. Vaccine is available Monday – Friday from 8 am – 4:30 pm.
No appointment is necessary. The department has ample supply of nasal
spray vaccine (commonly known as FluMist) and injectable vaccine.
Preservative-free injectable vaccine will be available while supplies
last. 
Flu activity typically increases after the holidays, and flu season
normally spikes in late January/early February. While this year’s flu
season has not followed the normal patterns, experts warn of a possible
“third wave” of flu activity. Now is an excellent time to get
vaccinated. Immune response begins immediately following vaccination,
but it typically takes 10 days to reach full protection. Anyone
vaccinated this week would be fully-protected by mid-January, before a
potential late January spike in activity. 
A reminder to parents: children age 9 and younger need two doses of
H1N1 vaccine to be fully-protected. The vaccine is free and should be
administered 28 days (or longer) after the first dose. 
We are out of seasonal flu vaccine and do not expect to receive
additional shipments.
H1N1 vaccine consent forms can be completed by visiting
www.GoColumbiaMO.com ( http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/ )and following
links to the health department’s flu page. For more information about
the flu, including dates/times of other flu clinics across the state,
please visit www.FightTheFluMO.com ( http://www.fighttheflumo.com/ ). 
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