Hennepin County begins vaccinating health staff, 1st responders

Nasal spray is being used, but other high-priority groups, including kids and pregnant women, will wait for shots.

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

Last update: October 14, 2009 - 12:36 AM

Its first shipment of nasal spray vaccine in hand, Hennepin County opened its first mass dispensing site Tuesday to immunize emergency medical service responders against onset of the H1N1 flu.

The spray vaccine will be administered this week to health care workers and first responders, following the federally established priority list for groups to be vaccinated.

Next up, as soon as the injectable variety of vaccine -- which offers less risk of making the person ill -- becomes available: children and pregnant women, followed by adults with chronic medical conditions.

But everyone eventually should get vaccinated for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu -- if not for yourself, then for the people you come into contact with, Public Health Protection Manager Allain Hankey told the Hennepin County Board on Tuesday.

As of two weeks ago, 336 people have been hospitalized in Hennepin County with H1N1 since its outbreak last spring, and two children have died of the virus, also known as swine flu. That's an unusually high number of people to be laid up this time of year by the flu, Hankey said. A disproportionate number of those, she added, were children under the age of 12.

"There's likely to be more waves [of H1N1], and then it becomes one of our seasonal viruses," she said.

Hennepin County officials have implemented procedures to reduce transmission and keep operations going, should a significant number of employees get sick or be forced to stay home to care for others. In that event, the county would use software to enable employees to work from home and temporary reassignments to keep departments running.

Hankey said the county plans to open four mass dispensing sites -- two in Minneapolis and two in the suburbs -- where the vaccine will be distributed for free. No proof of residency will be required.

In addition, the county will operate 15 immunization clinics at suburban schools (outside of Bloomington, Edina and Richfield, which will manage their own clinics). Minneapolis is preparing to open its own clinics at its high schools and several grade schools.

But Hankey said the county doesn't yet have specific information on times and places for immunization because of the limited supply of vaccine. There should eventually be enough to take care of everyone who needs or wants to be vaccinated, but that may not be until December, she said. The problem with supply is that the vaccine is technologically hard to produce, she said.

Board Chairman Mike Opat said that confusion persists about the virus because there are two different flus this year, and because vaccine delays prevent authorities from being more specific about when immunization will be possible. There are other wrinkles, such as the fact that young children require two doses, he said.

Opat said that providing information about H1N1 should be made a priority on the county's website.

"We have some work to do here, and we don't have a lot of time to do it," he said, adding: "This is a good first step."

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455

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