H1N1 Vaccine Priority Expanded to Include 25-64 Year Olds with Chronic Health Problems

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

San Juan County health officials announced today, Nov. 9,  that the groups currently given priority for receiving H1N1 vaccinations now includes adults 25-64 years of age who suffer from a chronic health problem that places them at greater risk of suffering serious complications  from H1N1 influenza.

Those chronic conditions include asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and individuals with conditions or taking medications which suppress the immune system.

San Juan County Health and Community Services Director John Manning urged people who fall into one of the priority groups for vaccination to contact their own health care provider if possible, and to be prepared to wait, “At this point our supply of vaccine remains below demand, and as we receive additional shipments we are distributing the vaccine through private providers. Individuals should only contact the health department directly to arrange a vaccination if they do not have a provider or cannot make an appointment with their provider.”

Contact information for medical providers receiving vaccine is available at https://www.sanjuanco.com/flu/h1n1vaccine.aspx

Groups considered as priorities for receiving vaccinations in San Juan County now include:

• Adults 25-64 years of age with chronic health problems (such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease);
• All children and young adults between the ages of 6 months and 25 years;
• Pregnant women;
• Caregivers of children less than six months; and
• Health care workers and emergency medical responders with direct patient care

County Health Officer Dr. Frank James noted on Friday that the normal pattern is to expect more cases to appear in the community as a whole after the number of flu-related absences in schools has peaked. He said that point appears to have been reached on San Juan Island with Orcas and Lopez not lagging far behind.

Despite an increasing number of cases, to date there have been no reports of influenza related hospitalizations or deaths among San Juan County residents.

Dr. James has repeatedly emphasized that until adequate supplies of H1N1 vaccine are available, it is extremely important for individuals to take steps to slow the spread of the disease:

1)      Wash your hands frequently;
2) Cover your cough;
3) Stay home if you are sick;
4) Call before going to your health care provider’s office if you have a cough and fever or sore throat.

More information on H1N1, updated information on the availability of vaccine and links to state and national H1N1 sites is available on the San Juan County web site at: https://sanjuanco.com/flu.

Information is available via telephone, 24 hours/ day by dialing 2-1-1 in San Juan County.