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Oct 30, 2009 4:16 pm US/Central
People Line Up At Private Flu Shot Clinic
By Kent Chapline, with additional reporting by Stephanie Lucero
FARMERS BRANCH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine sit in a basket at Rush University Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
A flu shot clinic in Farmers Branch is proving very popular with people who want the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
The Flu Shots of America clinic, in the 2300 block of Valley View Lane, initially had more than 11,000 doses of the vaccine. That's more than any county health department in North Texas.
The clinic is charging $20 for its immunizations and will sell one to anyone who visits, regardless of their risk or insurance status.
Zachary Thompson, director of the Dallas County health department, is angry about the situation. He says if a shipment of scarce vaccine went to a private clinic, it means local health departments have been shortchanged.
But the owner of the clinic, Jeff Vitt, says he's not doing anything wrong. He says his clinic ordered the H1N1 vaccine and received the doses in several small shipments.
Vitt also says that before he started offering the H1N1 vaccinations, he received a letter from the state health department telling him to distribute them in the manner he thought best. He says that because people in at-risk groups mix with those who are not at risk, it makes sense for everyone to get vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control says these people should get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible: pregnant women; caregivers for children younger than six months old; healthcare workers; everybody from six months through 24 years old; and people who are ages 25 through 64 years old who have underlying health conditions.
We talked to the state health department. They told us that Vitt's clinic is not doing anything wrong in how it is distributing the vaccine. They say healthcare providers should determine how to distribute their doses. They also said they are investigating the clinic to make sure there are no violations in other areas.
Vitt also says he will shut down his clinic or change the way he distributes the vaccine if the state health department tells him to.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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