Last Call for Priority Groups as Plans Made
to Open H1N1 Vaccine for All
Over One Million Vaccinations Given So Far in This Unusual Flu
Season
DENVER – As the state health department moves beyond the
one million flu vaccine delivery mark, plans are underway to make
available the 2009 H1N1 vaccine to all who seek it.
“Because the state now is receiving much larger
weekly amounts of vaccine, we hope to open the vaccine to all
who want it within the next week, so it’s quite important for
high-priority individuals who haven’t been vaccinated to get
their vaccination in the next few days,” said Ned Calonge, the
state’s chief medical officer.
He said, “I am pleased that we have delivered
more than one million doses of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine
to approximately 1,500 providers. We’ve distributed in nine
weeks what we typically distribute in an entire year.”
There are estimated to be approximately 2.5
million individuals in the high priority groups in Colorado.
Vaccine deliveries from the state health department to providers
to date would cover approximately half this population.
Some Colorado counties have completed their
delivery to high-priority individuals who have sought the
vaccine and have moved on to delivering the vaccine to all
people who seek it. Meanwhile, the majority of Colorado counties
are still wrapping up their work to ensure high-risk individuals
have been vaccinated.
Calonge said the state health department will
open up vaccinations for all so that Coloradans can get
vaccinated before they travel for holiday-related trips.
High-priority groups include:
* Health care workers
* Persons aged 6 months to 24 years
* Pregnant women
* Parents/caretakers and household contacts for children
younger than 6 months
* Non-elderly adults with underlying health conditions
* Emergency Medical Services workers
People who should not receive the influenza
vaccine include:
* People allergic to eggs and persons who
have had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccination
* People who got Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within six
weeks of getting an influenza vaccine
* Children less than 6 months of age
* People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever
(they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated)
People with questions about H1N1 are encouraged
to call CO HELP at 1-877-462-2911 or go to
http://www.colorado.gov/nofluforyou. For information on flu
vaccination clinics, go to
http://www.immunizecolorado.com.
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State of Colorado,
Department
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