H1N1- getting vaccinated

When I came in to work yesterday and found out the flu shot I was supposed to get got canceled due to a short supply, I started to panic. The H1N1 shot I was supposed to get from my obstetrician also was canceled, as was Ella’s shot she was to get at her pediatrician. Everyone is out.

So, I began asking people at work where the next shot clinics were. And I was very grateful yesterday I worked at a newspaper. My coworkers had all the information. One told me that there was a clinic in Fort Wayne – but it started at 2 p.m. It would be impossible to leave work that early and even if I did, it was only for kids, not pregnant women. She also said there was a clinic at 4 p.m. in the nearby town of Albion, for kids AND pregnant women, but she figured I needed to be a county resident, which I’m not.

Then my other coworker told me his county was having a special clinic for pregnant women next Tuesday. He called a health official for me on the phone that minute to see if I had to be a county resident. I did not.

This made me wonder if I really needed to be a resident of the county for the Albion clinic. This was my best option. It started later in the day, so I could get more work done, and they could vaccinate both Ella and I. My coworker gave me the name of the Noble County Health Officer. I called and was told that we would not be turned away.

So, I worked as quickly as I could. Then I raided the “healthy snack” pantry at work and grabbed some of my markers and notebooks as well – I would also be taking my nephew Grant. And I knew we would be waiting a long time. Grant’s mom couldn’t leave work quite as early as I could, but she would meet up with me soon.

When we arrived and I saw hundreds of people in line, and was directed to park in a fourth parking lot, I really feared what was ahead of me.

Luckily though, a friend (Rachel’s cousin) and daughter arrived right then. As did another friend and his little boy. And it wasn’t long before Rachel called and was on her way – and she was bringing chicken, fries and an activity bag for the kids.

The line seemed to move fairly quickly. In all, I think we were done in about 2 1/2 hours. It’s a lot, but the weather was decent, the kids were good and we had each other to talk to. And I feel better that Ella and I have the vaccine.

And as I write this – a coworker just leaned in to tell me that her husband has H1N1 and is very sick. I hope these vaccines take effect quickly.

So, if you haven’t gotten the vaccine, just stay tuned to the news for your local clinics, and be prepared for long lines. And hopefully all this hype is worse than the reality …

This is just some of the line in front of us. You can’t see it all because it goes around the building. And it was bigger behind us.

These are the four kids in our group. Luckily they could sprawl on the ground and color during the wait. They were pretty good, I have to say. Thank goodness!