Nov. 11--SCHENECTADY -- Sarah Fischer of Niskayuna was patiently waiting in an Annie Schaffer Senior Center conference room for her kids to get the H1N1 vaccine at a public clinic Tuesday.
There was no pushing, no raised voices, no long lines. Parents had appointments, and quietly rolled in about four at a time all afternoon.
The eagerness to get their kids under 5 years old inoculated against the rapidly spreading strain of influenza, however, was definitely there.
"It's wonderful. I don't believe they would have gotten it this year if it wasn't for this," said Fischer about the Schenectady County Health Department clinic that allowed sons Carter, 3, and Nathan, 7 months, to be vaccinated.
The shot, which has been in short supply at doctors' offices around the Capital Region, is flowing more freely in Schenectady County after the health department received 2,000 doses of vaccine this week. About 300 children are expected to be vaccinated at the clinics held Tuesday and today, and another 240 pregnant women were vaccinated against the H1N1 influenza at a clinic held last Friday.
Saratoga County has also started offering clinics to those in the groups at highest risk of serious infection, namely the young and pregnant women. Albany and Rensselaer counties have yet to schedule public clinics, citing low supplies of vaccine.
The vaccine's manufacture has been slow and the federal government has rationed shots based on state populations. The New York state Health Department is then rationing where the vaccine is going. Some doctors' offices have vaccine, others have little to none.
Schenectady County Public Health Commissioner Dr. David Pratt said his office has worked with doctors' offices and hospitals countywide to move around vaccine as it becomes available. Pratt said the county might be offering clinics before other Capital Region areas because his county's total population is small, about 150,000 people, and fewer vaccines are needed to hold clinics.
Schenectady County has also already held clinics at schools in Schalmont, and will begin vaccinating kids at Schenectady's Blodgett and Elmer Avenue elementary schools next week. The plan is to give 1,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine to students each week from now until the beginning of next year.
Tuesday's clinic was cobbled together late, with the public only notified about 24 hours before hand. County health officials said they only learned about the large vaccine shipment Monday. Turnout was strong nonetheless. County officials also thought parents would have time off to attend today's event because of the Veterans Day holiday. The shots are being administered by appointment only for crowd control and to ensure those in at-risk groups got the vaccine.
Joy Albert of Schenectady said her pediatrician called her personally to tell her about Tuesday's clinic that would benefit her three-year-old son, Malachi Hernandez. She said her doctor ran out of the vaccine within only a few days of receiving it from the state.
"I hear all these stories," said Albert about the flu causing serious complications in some children. "I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Lauren Stanforth can be reached at 454-5697 or lstanforth@timesunion.com.
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