Five Tulsa County Schools Set To Receive H1N1 Vaccines

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Five Tulsa County Schools Set To Receive H1N1 Vaccines
posted 5:37 pm Mon October 19, 2009 - Tulsa
reporter: Yvonne Harris posted by: Kevin King
from NewsChannel 8 - http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1009/670022.html

The Tulsa Health Department expects ten-thousand new doses of the H1N1 vaccine to arrive tonight or Tuesday. The shipments will go to at least five schools in Tulsa County as well as some private health care providers.

Berryhill is on the list to get the vaccines as is Holland Hall, Margaret Hudson, Marquette and Central Fine Arts in Sand Springs. More schools will be added as parents are notified.

Already swamped with calls since the H1N1 outbreak, the Tulsa Health Department says it is ready for another round of the vaccine and getting it to those who need it.

"We have worked with the schools that have contacted us first to schedule and are working with other schools that are contacting us at this time," says L'Toya Knighten.

Consent forms are going out to parents at various Tulsa County schools and when those forms are returned, Knighten says they have a team of nurses that will go to the schools and provide vaccines to children and faculty.

Some vaccines will also be going to private health care providers to be administered to pregnant women, children pre-K through 12th grade, children ages 2 to 18 with underlying health conditions and some health care workers.

With so much attention given to the H1N1 virus, some parents still aren't convinced it's right for their kids as there are no guarantees that it's 100-percent safe and effective.

"The H1N1 vaccine is relatively new in all this and hasn't been subjected to the same research as lot of other vaccines," says Dr. Mark Fox at OU Health Center. "But there's a long history of flu vaccine development and research that underlies it."

As for the the general public, the Tulsa Health Department says it will be early to mid November before more of the H1N1 vaccine becomes available for anyone who wants it.

The vaccines will not be administered at the Tulsa Health Department. The vaccines are free for students and staff at selected schools that have signed up.

 

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Re: Five Tulsa County Schools Set To Receive H1N1 Vaccines

More Swine Flu vaccine coming to Tulsa County
Reported by: Marla Carter
Email: mcarter@kjrh.com
Last Update: 10/19 5:01 pm

The 10,000 doses coming to the Tulsa Health Department are going to high-risk groups first, that includes: certain health workers, kids, teens and pregnant women.

Some school officials have already asked the health department to provide the vaccine to its students.

There are at least five Tulsa County schools on the list.

One of them, is Central Fine Arts Academy in Sand Springs.

Christy Shipman has two little ones at the school and is eager to get them vaccinated.

"The thought of them even having the chance of having something so detrimental and possibly deadly, as it has for other children, I can't even fathom that," said Shipman.

So when she got word the vaccine was headed to her kids' school, one word came to mind, "Thrilled!" said Shipman.

Earlier this month, students at another Sand Springs school were among the first to get the H1N1 vaccine in the Tulsa area after about a third of students were out with flu-like symptoms.

"Whenever they started having lots of absences, of course that peaked our interest, and we called back and said we still want to do the clinic if possible," said Jenny Chambers, the principal of Central Fine Arts Academy.

At least four other schools have signed up too including: Holland Hall, Berryhill South, Marquette and the Margaret Hudson Program.

Some private providers will also get the vaccine, like OBs and pediatricians. Again, the goal is to target groups who are at a greater risk of have complications with the virus.

"We have seen, thus far, the hospitalizations have been primarily in people younger than age 24 and pregnant women," said LToya Knighten with the Tulsa Health Department.

The students at Central Fine Arts Academy will be vaccinated Thursday.

Meanwhile, health department officials expect the vaccine to be available to the general public by November.

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local/stor...g-to-Tulsa-County/f0uMs4B5z0e9LtHWpTTU_w.cspx