kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM -- The Durham County Health Department's first major H1N1 (swine) flu clinic since restrictions were lifted on who can get the vaccines drew a sparser crowd Wednesday than two previous clinics at the National Guard Armory.
But those who got their shots and nasal spray were happy about the shorter lines, and said things went smoothly.
The clinic opened at 3 p.m. and four hours later had vaccinated some 840 people.
Health Department Director Gayle Harris said reports Tuesday that some H1N1 flu shots for children had been recalled by manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur because they lost strength may have affected Wednesday's turnout. But she and government officials have emphasized that the recall was never due to safety concerns.
The recall was for about 800,000 pre-filled syringes for children ages 6 months to nearly 3 years.
Of those, North Carolina got close to 18,000 doses, and Durham got only about 100, which had gone a Durham pediatric practice, Harris said.
"But the real issue is that those kids have to be vaccinated twice," Harris said. "And the Centers for Disease Control has said that they will have the level of immunity [they need], so there is no reason for alarm."
Harris also said many Durham residents apparently aren't taking the H1N1 outbreak seriously.
"We have to keep in mind that this is a very new virus, and we don't know how it's going to reappear or if it's going to mutate," Harris said. "And we also have to remember that this is still the prime time for seasonal flu to occur, so we're going to have two flu viruses circulating at the very same time. So people need to get both flu vaccines to be protected."
Among those at Wednesday's clinic was Amy McAllister of Durham, who brought her 2¬
