Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/999782.html
Death 11th in county from swine flu
Health: Officials urge everybody to get H1N1 and seasonal vaccines
An elderly Pierce County woman died of H1N1 flu Dec. 6, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported Friday.
As they related news of her death, health officials renewed their call for residents to get vaccinated against the virus.
More stocks of vaccine are available now, and anyone over the age of 6 months in Pierce, King, Thurston, Kitsap and many other counties is eligible to receive it.
The woman?s death was the 11th confirmed in Pierce County since May. She died at St. Joseph Medical Center two weeks ago, but the cause wasn?t attributed to swine flu until this week.
Officials said she had no underlying health issues, but no other details about the woman in her 80s were released.
Statewide, officials recorded 65 swine flu deaths and 1,323 hospitalizations from the virus as of Thursday, state Department of Health spokesman Tim Church said.
There have been about 150 confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations in Pierce County, health director Dr. Anthony Chen said.
The flu can be ?a very serious illness,? Chen said. He and other officials emphasize the importance of getting vaccinated against both swine and seasonal flus, keeping coughs to yourself, washing your hands frequently and staying home when you?re sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last week that around 50 million people in the U.S. have had the H1N1 virus and that around 10,000 have died from it.
Using the CDC estimate, that would mean around 15 percent of Pierce County residents ? or about 120,000 ? people already caught the bug, Chen said.
Many people get the flu, either seasonal or swine, with comparatively minor symptoms and little disruption to their lives or health, officials point out.
But they don?t want you to be lulled into thinking that either disease isn?t a serious threat.
And officials don?t know what the coming weeks might hold.
Seasonal flu normally picks up in January ?and we get a huge spike in February,? Chen said. ?Whether H1N1 is going to act like the seasonal flu and spike, we don?t know.?
The message from health officials from the federal level to the county level is consistent: Influenza is unpredictable; get a vaccination if you can.
Arms were steadily poked Friday as people queued up for vaccinations at a free clinic in the east wing at Mary Bridge Children?s Hospital.
?There?s been a big bump in the number of people coming to get the H1N1 vaccine since the Health Department opened it up to everyone,? MultiCare spokeswoman Marce Edwards said.
?We have been full and busy every day.?
The clinic dispensed nearly 1,300 doses of vaccine between Monday and Thursday, she said. More than half of those ? 774 ? were administered to people between 25 to 65.
Lois Quail, a University Place special education teacher, was among those waiting for vaccine Friday afternoon.
?I tend to believe that it?s a significant health issue,? she said. Besides, she teaches children and has a grandson on the way, and, she said, ?I like prevention.?
Kris Sherman: 252-597-8659
kris.sherman@thenewstribune.com
Free H1N1 vaccination clinics
Several free swine flu vaccination clinics are scheduled in coming days and weeks for people 6 months and older:
? Monday-Wednesday the next two weeks: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. in the east wing of Mary Bridge Children?s Health Center, 311 S. L St., Tacoma.
? Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department auditorium, 3629 S. D St., Tacoma. Clinics are scheduled each Wednesday until further notice.
? Dec. 28: 1 to 7 p.m. at St. Clare Hospital Resource Center, 4908 112th St. S.W., Lakewood.
Death 11th in county from swine flu
Health: Officials urge everybody to get H1N1 and seasonal vaccines
An elderly Pierce County woman died of H1N1 flu Dec. 6, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported Friday.
As they related news of her death, health officials renewed their call for residents to get vaccinated against the virus.
More stocks of vaccine are available now, and anyone over the age of 6 months in Pierce, King, Thurston, Kitsap and many other counties is eligible to receive it.
The woman?s death was the 11th confirmed in Pierce County since May. She died at St. Joseph Medical Center two weeks ago, but the cause wasn?t attributed to swine flu until this week.
Officials said she had no underlying health issues, but no other details about the woman in her 80s were released.
Statewide, officials recorded 65 swine flu deaths and 1,323 hospitalizations from the virus as of Thursday, state Department of Health spokesman Tim Church said.
There have been about 150 confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations in Pierce County, health director Dr. Anthony Chen said.
The flu can be ?a very serious illness,? Chen said. He and other officials emphasize the importance of getting vaccinated against both swine and seasonal flus, keeping coughs to yourself, washing your hands frequently and staying home when you?re sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last week that around 50 million people in the U.S. have had the H1N1 virus and that around 10,000 have died from it.
Using the CDC estimate, that would mean around 15 percent of Pierce County residents ? or about 120,000 ? people already caught the bug, Chen said.
Many people get the flu, either seasonal or swine, with comparatively minor symptoms and little disruption to their lives or health, officials point out.
But they don?t want you to be lulled into thinking that either disease isn?t a serious threat.
And officials don?t know what the coming weeks might hold.
Seasonal flu normally picks up in January ?and we get a huge spike in February,? Chen said. ?Whether H1N1 is going to act like the seasonal flu and spike, we don?t know.?
The message from health officials from the federal level to the county level is consistent: Influenza is unpredictable; get a vaccination if you can.
Arms were steadily poked Friday as people queued up for vaccinations at a free clinic in the east wing at Mary Bridge Children?s Hospital.
?There?s been a big bump in the number of people coming to get the H1N1 vaccine since the Health Department opened it up to everyone,? MultiCare spokeswoman Marce Edwards said.
?We have been full and busy every day.?
The clinic dispensed nearly 1,300 doses of vaccine between Monday and Thursday, she said. More than half of those ? 774 ? were administered to people between 25 to 65.
Lois Quail, a University Place special education teacher, was among those waiting for vaccine Friday afternoon.
?I tend to believe that it?s a significant health issue,? she said. Besides, she teaches children and has a grandson on the way, and, she said, ?I like prevention.?
Kris Sherman: 252-597-8659
kris.sherman@thenewstribune.com
Free H1N1 vaccination clinics
Several free swine flu vaccination clinics are scheduled in coming days and weeks for people 6 months and older:
? Monday-Wednesday the next two weeks: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. in the east wing of Mary Bridge Children?s Health Center, 311 S. L St., Tacoma.
? Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department auditorium, 3629 S. D St., Tacoma. Clinics are scheduled each Wednesday until further notice.
? Dec. 28: 1 to 7 p.m. at St. Clare Hospital Resource Center, 4908 112th St. S.W., Lakewood.