anyone else developing sense of panic over getting DC the H1N1 vaccine?

[Anonymous]

Panic might be a strong word. But all this talk is really starting to get me worried about when/if I'll be able to get a shot for my 37 mo old daughter. And the nightly video on the news of children on ventilators in hospitals around the country isn't helping. I know it's serious (I work in healthcare, for heaven's sake). But, on some level, I can't help but feel like this has become a media frenzy. I heard the Arlington clinic this a.m. was swamped and is out already. DD isn't eligible for the FFX clinic this weekend, since she is over 36 mo (and she is height/weight average for a 4 year old - and dosage is generally guided by weight - I understand dosage for >36 mos is diff than what FFX Co will have.)

Freaking out here... anyone else feeling this way?

[Anonymous]

No reason to panic. Just be prudent. Your child is old enough for Flumist, and I think there is a lot of that around. So you should be able to get something.

People are swamping the clinics, but it's because the vaccine is not yet available at the Drs offices and pharmacies like the regular vaccine. So everyone has to go to a few places. My guess is that far fewer people have gotten the H1N1 than the seasonal flu shot by now.

[Anonymous]

I think once you see a clinic in progress you'll feel better. It's a hurry-up-and-wait experience. Pretty boring. Your daughter can get mist, right? There's more of that than the shot so it's not difficult.

[Anonymous]

all flu in the area is h1n1 not seasonal. I was in line in moco this morning. yes, i felt distressed, but not panicked. That's why I was up at 5am. Anyone under 10 needs two doses, so I'll do it again.

Keep checking the websites for all the local health departments. There will be more vaccine and more clinics.

[Anonymous]

PP, up at 5am, not sleeping out overnight, which is what one person did. The clinic inside was well run. As much as I have been cursing MoCo, I think they did a fairly good job this morning.

[Anonymous]

No, I'm not panicking at all. It would be a bummer to get the flu, but I'm not going to move heaven and earth to avoid it. We'll see what the ped says at the 2-year checkup tomorrow, and if the answer is no, for whatever reason, that will be that.

[Anonymous]

Panicked, not really, but certainly antsy for it. The CDC et al has done such a great job of convincing us we need it and now that we want it, it's not here!!!

[Anonymous]

no. I find it funny that you would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:all flu in the area is h1n1 not seasonal. I was in line in moco this morning. yes, i felt distressed, but not panicked. That's why I was up at 5am. Anyone under 10 needs two doses, so I'll do it again.

Keep checking the websites for all the local health departments. There will be more vaccine and more clinics.

No, all flu in the area is NOT H1N1. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

[Anonymous]

Press Release

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Offering Flu Shots

Rockville, MD — Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is providing flu shots at many community locations beginning October 15 and running through mid-November.

The flu shot is available to individuals who are 18 and older. No appointment is necessary. The flu shot costs $20 and can be paid for by cash, check, or Medicare Part B. Anyone who is allergic to eggs, has a cold, or has Guillain-Barre syndrome may not receive the flu shot. Pregnant women must have written permission from a physician to receive the shot.

Influenza season generally runs November through March. The virus can cause fever, sore throat, chills, cough, headache, and muscle aches. Most people who contract influenza are ill for a few days, but others become seriously ill and require hospitalization. The flu causes about 36,000 deaths per year in the United States, and most of those deaths are among the elderly, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

For more information on the flu shot, and to find one of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s flu shot locations, call [phone], or visit us online.

[Anonymous]

No panic here. The media's whipping people into a frenzy because the vaccine is available but scarce right now. It makes for a good story. Kind of like the run on Cabbage Patch Kids, but with sick kids and scary hospital footage. Don't get sucked in!

Seriously, I very much plan for us to be vaccinated, but I'm trying to remind myself that it's not like it's now-or-never. They made a HUGE supply of this vaccine -- it'll be everywhere soon enough.

[Anonymous]

Press Release

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Offering Flu Shots

Rockville, MD — Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is providing flu shots at many community locations beginning October 15 and running through mid-November.

The flu shot is available to individuals who are 18 and older. No appointment is necessary. The flu shot costs $20 and can be paid for by cash, check, or Medicare Part B. Anyone who is allergic to eggs, has a cold, or has Guillain-Barre syndrome may not receive the flu shot. Pregnant women must have written permission from a physician to receive the shot.

Influenza season generally runs November through March. The virus can cause fever, sore throat, chills, cough, headache, and muscle aches. Most people who contract influenza are ill for a few days, but others become seriously ill and require hospitalization. The flu causes about 36,000 deaths per year in the United States, and most of those deaths are among the elderly, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

For more information on the flu shot, and to find one of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s flu shot locations, call [phone], or visit us online.

I believe this is referring to the seasonal flu vaccine, and not the H1N1. I could be wrong, but it seems that this is not referring to the H1N1.

[Anonymous]

No panic here. The media's whipping people into a frenzy because the vaccine is available but scarce right now. It makes for a good story. Kind of like the run on Cabbage Patch Kids, but with sick kids and scary hospital footage. Don't get sucked in!

Seriously, I very much plan for us to be vaccinated, but I'm trying to remind myself that it's not like it's now-or-never. They made a HUGE supply of this vaccine -- it'll be everywhere soon enough.

This is a very sane approach, and one most people should follow.

Remember a few years ago when the seasonal flu shot was in short supply? People were up in arms because they were worried they couldn't get it, and suddenly EVERYONE wanted it, including people that hadn't gotten flu shots in decades.

This is one of the peaks of the H1N1 infection cycle. You are more likely to catch H1N1 waiting in a mob of 1000s of people to get the vaccine than if you just continue out your normal life and wait a week or two for more to arrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:all flu in the area is h1n1 not seasonal. I was in line in moco this morning. yes, i felt distressed, but not panicked. That's why I was up at 5am. Anyone under 10 needs two doses, so I'll do it again.

Keep checking the websites for all the local health departments. There will be more vaccine and more clinics.

The first sentence in this is not true at all. Doctors are ASSUMING this bc of the rapid spread since no one has immunity - but there are still ppl getting the regular flu as well. This is just another reason why I think it should be tested and documented.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all you cooler heads. I was all panicked about getting me and my family vaccinated, but now you have shown me the errors of my ways. How could I be so stupid as to emotionally react to the five-year old on the news in an induced coma on a ventilator or the perfectly healthy 38-year old triathelete that succumbed to the swine flu. And thanks to the statistician of the group that has established that you are at much greater risk to succumbing to the swine flu if you stand in line for the vaccination than you would be if you waited for your Dr. to kindly call you up and offer to give it to you in the comfort of your own home.

Please keep thinking this way and stay away from those mass vaccination clinics so my family and I can get vaccinated before the shit really hits the fan.