Arlington H1N1clinic today

[Anonymous]

If I hear that pregnant women and children with disabilities are being turned away because there is no more vaccine, then I would agree that the SYSTEM is flawed. But is that happening?

YES -- it happened today, at the Montgomery County Clinic in Rockville! They only had 200 shots -- the only type of H1N1 vaccine that pregnant women and some children and adults with chronic health conditions can safely receive.

And place of residency is not an issue here -- none of the clinics are requiring it and people are attending whichever clinic they can trying to be vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is with the Arlington clinic. I was there today & the guy handing out forms was asking the parents of two children if they were getting vaccinated. They responded that they did not think they were eligible to be vaccinated at this moment. He answered, sure you are! They were like, OK, we will get vaccinated then. I did not think it was my place to get involved and tell them not to get vaccinated. Now, DH is an ER doc, has not been vaccinated & I was going to tell him to go to Arlington tomorrow for the vaccine. Perhaps I will suggest that he wear his scrubs so people do not give him nasty looks : )

EXACTLY. There is a problem with the SYSTEM. No one I talked about was trying to pull a fast one. There is confusion and mis-information.

I feel very badly for the MoCo people who couldn't get the shot. Only 200? That is ridiculous.

I don't understand why they didn't organize this better. Have all the flu days start at the same time, like election day. For the first week, only children, pregnant women, and others with doctor's notes go first. The way they are administering the shots seems arbitrary and confusing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, I am confused as to who can get the shot at the Arlington clinic.

What do you consider the father of a child who is high risk? My daughter has respiratory issues and can't get the vaccine yet (she's 14 months). So is it selfish for my husband and I (who am trying to get pregnant) to get the shot today?

parent of high risk child who can't get a shot, sure. Trying to get pregnant, come back when you're pregnant. There'll be more vaccine by then.

[Anonymous]

The reason MoCo only had 200 doses of the injectable is because they didn't get a shipment this week (as they had been expecting to), and 200 is all that was left from last week's shipment after last week's clinic. The staff I encountered seemed to be working very, very hard to make the best of a difficult situation - it's not like *they* decided to only order 200 doses for the clinic. I do wish the county were updating its H1N1 webpage more frequently - I knew there would be <250 doses because I called the hotline yesterday afternoon, and I managed to get in line just in time to get one of the last shots, but the webpage was never updated to warn that today's clinic would have very few shots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You are over-reacting. I think it is the responsibility of the staff administering the shot to decide who can get it and who can't. Shouldn't they know best?

Several of the moms in my playgroup, who all have 14 month olds, have gotten the shot at this same clinic because their kids can't. They weren't trying to game the system, they wanted to protect their children in any way possible. Why begrudge them that?

LOL PP . . . this is like that episode of Seinfeld where George attended a birthday party and thought there was a fire, so he knocked over all the toddlers trying to get out of the burning house first. You and your friends pretty much just knocked over a bunch of pregnant women and children with disabilities so they could get their shots first. Glad you all found each other so you can be friends together!

Good analogy. I have been reading this thread thinking these selfish moms would be putting other peoples' kids out of the only life boat when the ship was sinking because the moms were more entitled to be in the boat. Same people who think their 10 year olds deserve a seat on the metro over a person on crutches.

[Anonymous]

And what happened to personal responsibility? For these moms to blame the "System" when the moms themselves have simply chosen to do the wrong, selfish thing is simply terrible. No one forced them to get the vaccine, they got it anyway even knowing it went contrary to CDC's priority list. I find it reprehensible.

[Anonymous]

To the people who have gotten the H1N1 vaccine and are not in the CDC priority groups - WHAT YOU DID IS DISGUSTING. YOU ARE DISGUSTING. How do you sleep at night knowing vulnerable children are going without because you are so selfish that you cut in line to get your own?

Blaming the system is a cop out. You are adults. Tell the staff "No, I will wait my turn." How hard is that? Take responsibility for what you are, and what you are is a horrible, unethical, rude and selfish person.

[Anonymous]

EXACTLY. There is a problem with the SYSTEM. No one I talked about was trying to pull a fast one. There is confusion and mis-information.

I feel very badly for the MoCo people who couldn't get the shot. Only 200? That is ridiculous.

I don't understand why they didn't organize this better. Have all the flu days start at the same time, like election day. For the first week, only children, pregnant women, and others with doctor's notes go first. The way they are administering the shots seems arbitrary and confusing to me.

Blaming the disorganized system on your decision to cut in line and get the vaccine ahead of the CDC designated groups is like an obese person blaming McDonald's for having unhealthy food. There isn't confusion or misinformation about who is on the CDC designated high risk list. You were well aware of who was on the list when you made the decision to get a shot that you knew was in limited supply. This makes you a horrible person. No one forced you to sign a consent and get the shot ahead of pregnant women, small children, and people with underlying risk factors. YOU WILLINGLY DID IT. If you are so proud of what you did, I DARE you to identify yourself. Let your friends and family know what you did. See how they react.

[Anonymous]

Update on the Arlington clinic: According to the website it is

1) Closed tomorrow, Thursday, all day.

2) Open on Friday, from 8:30 to 1:00 or as long as shots last.


In other words, Arlington does not have enough supply so please only get the vaccine if you are in a priority group.

[Anonymous]

I went to clinic with my 4 year old (it showed up at his school this week). I have an 18-month old at home that cannot be vaccinated. due to his age They told me that me, my husband and nanny are considered 'priority' since we have a child under 2 at home.

They did see once the under 2 vaccine becomes avail. this policy will change, e.g., i won't be a priority when my baby can get the shot.

I was prepared not to get it, but they did consider me high risk. I am not related to the other posters. just my 2 cents. I would not have gotten it if they hadn't considered me 'priority'. Their rationale is we all have to protect infant by not bringing it into the home.

[Anonymous]

I feel very badly for the MoCo people who couldn't get the shot. Only 200? That is ridiculous.

I don't understand why they didn't organize this better. Have all the flu days start at the same time, like election day. For the first week, only children, pregnant women, and others with doctor's notes go first. The way they are administering the shots seems arbitrary and confusing to me.

You are so dumb it is painful. THEY ARE HAVING THE FIRST WEEKS BE ONLY PREGNANT WOMEN, CHILDREN, and AT RISK PEOPLE DESIGNATED BY THE CDC. But people like you and your friends have decided that isn't good enough and you need to cut in line.

Pregnant women were turned away today in Rockville.

Children were turned away today in Rockville.

At risk people were turned away today in Rockville.

But I'm glad your mommy's group got their vacs. You are all clearly more important than everyone else that is trying to protect their children.

[Anonymous]

LOL PP . . . this is like that episode of Seinfeld where George attended a birthday party and thought there was a fire, so he knocked over all the toddlers trying to get out of the burning house first. You and your friends pretty much just knocked over a bunch of pregnant women and children with disabilities so they could get their shots first. Glad you all found each other so you can be friends together!

First off, that is completely unfair. No one got knocked off, let alone kids or pregnant women. Also, I didn't get the shot and never said I did. The people in my playgroup who did ASKED for the shot, didn't strong arm anyone into it or cut in line.

One mother has been in and out of hospitals with her 14 month old who has aspiration issues, so maybe that is why they gave it to her. Another mother was told to get the shot by the staff because she is still nursing her 14 month old. And I don't know how the third person got the shot, but I know she didn't lie to get it or "push over any toddlers." In fact, these mothers have toddlers they are trying to protect---toddlers who can't get the shot yet themselves.

They didn't cut in line, they didn't lie. They waited their turn like everyone else and were honest about their situation. If you take issue with the way the vaccine is being distributed, then take issue with the distributers. The information is constantly changing. Their children COULDN'T get vaccinated because they are too young, and they are trying to protect them, too.

If I hear that pregnant women and children with disabilities are being turned away because there is no more vaccine, then I would agree that the SYSTEM is flawed. But is that happening?

Just because you didn't see the pregnant women and children being turned away doesn't mean it didn't happen. It is happening all over the place. Do you think there is an endless supply of vaccine available right now?

I have 4 month old son who has been hospitalized for wheezing and probable asthma, but he's not eligible for the shot. I was planning to go to the Arlington clinic tomorrow to get the shot because I qualify as a caregiver of a child under 6 months of age, but GUESS WHAT?? THEY RAN OUT.

[Anonymous]

First off, that is completely unfair. No one got knocked off, let alone kids or pregnant women. Also, I didn't get the shot and never said I did. The people in my playgroup who did ASKED for the shot, didn't strong arm anyone into it or cut in line.

One mother has been in and out of hospitals with her 14 month old who has aspiration issues, so maybe that is why they gave it to her. Another mother was told to get the shot by the staff because she is still nursing her 14 month old. And I don't know how the third person got the shot, but I know she didn't lie to get it or "push over any toddlers." In fact, these mothers have toddlers they are trying to protect---toddlers who can't get the shot yet themselves.

They didn't cut in line, they didn't lie. They waited their turn like everyone else and were honest about their situation. If you take issue with the way the vaccine is being distributed, then take issue with the distributers. The information is constantly changing. Their children COULDN'T get vaccinated because they are too young, and they are trying to protect them, too.

If I hear that pregnant women and children with disabilities are being turned away because there is no more vaccine, then I would agree that the SYSTEM is flawed. But is that happening?

Why couldn't all your friends wait for the clinic this Saturday in Fairfax County that is vaccinating children 6 months - 36 months? Or any of the DC clinics that are vaccinating children? The fact is the shots they got are shots that are no longer available to those who need them most. They could have waited a few days and gotten their children the shots if they really were concerned about their children.

[Anonymous]

I took my 2 children to the Arlington Clinic this afternoon at about 3:00. We were in and out in a half an hour.

The staff there is amazing and except for my 3 year old screaming the whole time we had a pleasant experience.

Big time kudos to the staff over there! If any of you are reading this, a huge thank you from us!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to clinic with my 4 year old (it showed up at his school this week). I have an 18-month old at home that cannot be vaccinated. due to his age They told me that me, my husband and nanny are considered 'priority' since we have a child under 2 at home.

They did see once the under 2 vaccine becomes avail. this policy will change, e.g., i won't be a priority when my baby can get the shot.

I was prepared not to get it, but they did consider me high risk. I am not related to the other posters. just my 2 cents. I would not have gotten it if they hadn't considered me 'priority'. Their rationale is we all have to protect infant by not bringing it into the home.

BULLSHIT. Your 18 month old can be vaccinated. At DC, at FAIRFAX -- just not at ARLINGTON. And the CDC has determined who is high risk -- YOU ARE NOT IN THAT GROUP. And you know it. You can make all the excuses in the world but like a previous poster said, if you you are so ok with your decision -- why don't you tell us who you are? Because you know it was wrong.
I have an 18 month old too. And I will go to Fairfax on Saturday. And then i will go the DC for my three year old. and then i will WAIT MY TURN with all the other healthy adults and wait and see when it is available to the general public. Instead of cutting the line and making excuses, maybe you should thank your lucky stars you are not disabled, or have a heart condition, be grateful for your health, and think of others who are not so fortunate.