El Dorado County health officials say local healthcare providers have begun receiving shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine.
"Doctors in the community who ordered the vaccine should have received the vaccine or will be getting it within the next few weeks," Cathy Dunbar, county immunization coordinator, said in a news release. "People who are interested in getting the vaccine should check with their doctor's office."
Count Health Services' Public Health Division received a small supply of the injectable H1N1 vaccine and will offer it, by appointment, to targeted individuals:
• Pregnant women
• Household contacts and caregivers of infants under the age of 6 months
• Infants age 6 months to 23 months
• Children age 2 to 18 with chronic health conditions that would prevent them from receiving the nasal flu mist version of the vaccine
Because the Health Services Department's supply is limited, Dunbar encourages people to try to receive the vaccine through their family doctor before contacting the county office for an appointment.
To schedule an appointment through the Health Services Department, call (530) 621-6100 in Placerville or (530) 573-3155 in South Lake Tahoe. The vaccine will be provided at no cost.
As supplies of the vaccine increase, Dunbar said, it will be more widely available to other people in the community. Community clinics offering the H1N1 vaccine likely will be scheduled in late November or early December.
To date, there have been 78 confirmed cases of H1N1 infection in El Dorado County, although health officials believe that more cases are circulating in the community, according to the news release. There has been one H1N1-related death in the county.
Updated local information on H1N1 flu will be posted on the Web site, www.edcgov.us/publichealth
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