Popular Slideshows On CBS11TV.COM
Dec 1, 2009 4:33 pm US/Central
H1N1 Vaccine Soon Available For General Public
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
-
-
Justin Sullivan /Getty Images
After months of waiting, all residents in two North Texas counties will have access to the H1N1 vaccine.
Dallas and Tarrant counties made the announcements Tuesday that both now have a surplus of the vaccine.
For both counties the decision to offer the vaccine to the general public came down to supply and demand.
They both have a large supply after demand for the vaccine has dwindled. The move marks a major shift in the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine.
The two most populous counties in North Texas now will offer it to anyone who wants it. In Tarrant county they will start focusing on those outside the designated target groups on Thursday.
"The demand for these target groups has fallen off and availability for the vaccine is such that we don't have to make it available to just specific groups" says Tarrant County spokesman Marc Flake.
Dallas County announced it will offer the H1N1 vaccine to anyone who wants it starting Monday.
"We feel like through our partnerships with pharmacies, with what the medical providers have done, that we pretty much have gotten the h1n1 vaccine out to the priority groups. The interest has started to wane. We think now is the time to open it up to everyone" says Zachary Thompson with Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Dallas County had received more than 70,000 doses of the vaccine, Tarrant County currently has more than 35,000.
Both agencies say the public's initial rush to get the vaccine has dramatically waned, leading to a surplus.
Folks we talked to today still appear hesitant. "A lot of people I know, whenever they get the shot, they always end up getting sick" says Dallas resident Andrew Holding.
Destiny Richter agrees. "It's still too controversial and to new. We don't know the full side effects of it yet."
But health officials are warning people to remain vigilant against H1N1. They say like seasonal flu the H1N1 season has peaks and valleys. Right now North Texas in on the backside of a peak, but the season is far from over.
"If you really care about your health and the health of your family I would heartily recommend getting a flu vaccine" says Marc Flake.
Dallas County will offer the vaccine to the general public starting on Monday at three locations. Tarrant County starts on Thursday at all seven of its public health centers.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Recent Celebrity Deaths
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments