Oct. 30--The line of people began forming six hours before the doors opened, requiring traffic cops, extra security and a lot of patience.
No, it wasn't a Pearl Jam concert or even the grand opening of a Super Wal-Mart.
It was the latest H1N1 swine flu clinic held Thursday afternoon at Stockdale High School.
At the front of the line, Lucy Padilla waited with three of her children to receive the much-coveted yet still relatively rare vaccine.
"I have a 3-month-old at home and school-age kids who come home to him every day," Padilla said. "That's my biggest motivation."
Her infant is too young for the vaccine, yet may be vulnerable to the flu, so Padilla hopes to protect the baby by immunizing everyone with whom he comes in contact.
As a caregiver of a child younger than 6 months, Padilla falls into the target group of those eligible for the vaccine.
"Honestly it's a worry," she said. "I'm worried to vaccinate and I'm worried to not vaccinate. I'm just putting it in God's hands."
By 3 p.m., an hour before vaccinations were scheduled to begin, the line of vaccine seekers stretched the length of a football field through the parking lot, turned south and continued out of the lot, spilling eastward down the sidewalk bordering White Lane.
No one knew exactly how many people waited in line, but officials estimated there were about 1,300 doses on site.
Theresa Clear, with a baby and another child in tow, said she waited several hours the day before at a clinic held at the county health department's Mount Vernon Avenue offices. She ended up leaving with no vaccination.
"I thought it was not very well organized," Clear said of Wednesday's clinic. "This one seems much better put together."
Indeed, close to 75 public health workers wearing brightly colored vests were on hand to pre-screen those seeking vaccines, answer questions and administer the vaccine. Several medical academy students from Stockdale High helped out, as did three U.S. Marines who happened to be on campus and stayed to help direct traffic.
Even Public Health Director Matt Constantine was outside handing out tickets to those going under the needle.
"I thought I should get out here and see how it's working," Constantine said. "We're finding unforeseen issues, like parents standing in line holding a spot for a child who's not here yet."
Joe Rogers arrived at about 1 p.m. with his wife, Linda.
"She has lupus, which means she has a compromised immune system," Rogers said. "She's high risk.
"I took off from work to come over here so she can get that shot," he said.
Several pregnant women, another high-risk group, were in line to get a vaccination.
"Pregnant women aren't supposed to get the nasal spray vaccine," said Hillary Brown, who arrived at about 2 p.m. "I just waited until the shots came in. I'm hoping to get one today."
A pregnant Carrie Rickels waited in line for a few hours Thursday with her husband Adam, who is eligible for the vaccine due to his diabetes.
Carrie had attended a clinic held in Delano the day before, where she was vaccinated.
"It was very disorganized," she said of the Delano clinic. "It was supposed to start at 9 a.m. but didn't get started until 9:30. It took me till 1 (p.m.) to get vaccinated.
"Today, it seems a lot more organized," she said. "They're learning from their earlier experience."
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