Thousands line up for swine flu vaccine

County health officials vaccinated about 2,100 people against the swine flu Saturday as thousands of people lined up outside the Spokane Arena to fend off the aggressive virus that is sickening thousands of people across the county. Health officials had about 4,000 doses on hand and held the mass vaccination clinic in an effort to reach the region’s most vulnerable – pregnant women, and the young with underlying health condition. Lines for the vaccines began forming before dawn Saturday morning for a chance to get a swine flu vaccine at the Spokane Arena. Pregnant women and anxious fathers, little kids bundled in fleece and grandparents carving out a place for their families stood patiently in what turned out to be a docile and orderly event. Colin Charbonneau brought his toddler son Lucas to the clinic along with his pregnant wife. “We have to protect each other,” he said. “I’m absolutely impressed with how this has all come together.” Employees with the Spokane Regional Health District along with police, emergency workers and students from the Washington State University College of Pharmacy, local nursing schools and other volunteers helped the keep the long lines moving at a steady clip. The arena turned out to be an efficient venue – with plenty of free parking, restrooms and space for the people seeking vaccinations. There was little crowding. A pleasant autumn morning with plenty of sunshine also helped as lines initially stretched several blocks. The shot form of the vaccine ran out within two hours of the doors opening. Yet by 2 p.m., as the clinic closed, there were about 2,000 doses of the nasal mist left, said Julie Graham, health district spokeswoman. The leftover doses will be refrigerated and either shipped to area health care providers or stockpiled until the next big public clinic on Nov. 7 at the Spokane Valley YMCA. Jim Jenson didn’t want his grandsons to wait. He arose early and held down spots in line for five-year-old Tate, who has asthma, and 1-year-old Luca. The boys’ mother Gina Garcia, said the clinic turned out to be an easy way to get her boys a dose. Luke and Anna Fridenmaker brought four of their children to the clinic and each were inoculated. Their newborn twin boys were staying with grandparents. “The health district folks just did an excellent job,” said Fridenmaker, a health care worker at the Spokane VA Medical Center. Dr. Joel McCullough called the clinic a success yet noted that there are thousands of other Spokane County residents at risk of serious illness without the vaccine. He said that even if people think they have already had the swine flu, they should be vaccinated. “There’s lots of other viruses circulating in the community so they might have had something else,” he said. The clinics are viewed by health officials as the best way to get the limited supplies out. Spokane was supposed to have about 58,000 doses by this week, but slower than expected production across the country meant that Spokane only received a fraction of its anticipated allotment – about 13,000 doses. A few thousand of those were shipped directly to regional hospitals which began inoculating employees this week. Hospital officials also put some doses in reserve for high-risk patients.