King County Public Health announced Friday (Nov. 6th) that it is now offering a limited supply (15,000 for now) of H1N1 vaccines to qualified people at area pharmacies, including two in White Center.
To get vaccinated, you have to make an appointment by telephone, and meet the criteria listed below:
- Pregnant women
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
- People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
- People between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems
- Healthcare and emergency workers with direct patient contact
Area pharmacies with the vaccine include:
- Walgreens
9456 16th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98106
(206) 767-2294 - Albertsons-Sav-On
10616 16th Avenue S.W.
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 242-6310
The nearest other pharmacy is the Albertsons-Sav-On at 12725 First Ave. South in Burien (206-439-7212).
Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today (Fri. Nov. 6th); some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week. The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available, vaccination age ranges and administrative fee, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.aspx. This site will be updated Monday through Friday by noon; people should contact pharmacies directly for the most up-to-date information.
With limited national vaccine supplies, Public Health – Seattle & King County has had to delay its plan to make vaccine widely available through community venues. As more vaccine becomes available, there will be additional sites for getting vaccinated, including community clinics.
“Making vaccine available through pharmacies is an important next step in protecting our community, but supplies at both pharmacies and health care providers will continue to be limited for at least several weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Eventually there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but we are still dealing with limited vaccine supplies.”
With the latest deliveries this week, King County has received approximately 142,000 doses of vaccine. A new allocation of approximately 71,000 doses is being ordered for delivery to the county. Most of the vaccine is being made available through health care providers.
The amount of H1N1 vaccine at pharmacies will be limited, with each pharmacy receiving a few hundred doses each. Vaccine will be re-supplied to pharmacies as more becomes available over the coming weeks, so people should regularly check Public Health’s website for updates.
Many pharmacies are unable to vaccinate babies and young children because their staff is not licensed and/or trained for these age groups. Residents trying to vaccinate children should check with pharmacies directly and with their health care providers since vaccine is continuing to arrive.
Pharmacies may charge a fee for administering the vaccine, typically between $12 and $22 (not to exceed $22). This fee is covered by most health insurance. People should bring their health insurance information to the pharmacy, and they may need to submit a receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement.
Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators from 9am to 5pm weekdays to answer questions from residents about H1N1 influenza. There is also a special 24-hour nurse line service extended over this weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice. Recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.
View King County pharmacies with H1N1 vaccine in a larger map
King County Public Health announced Friday (Oct. 23rd) that they have suspended operations of the four clinics that were serving H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccinations, including the White Center Public Health Center (see our previous report here).
So if you weren’t one of the lucky ones to get poked, you’ll have to wait until more vaccine gets to the area, and authorities are hoping for another 90,000 doses by Friday, Oct. 30th.
According to a press release:
As a result of high demand at these four sites, all the vaccine initially set aside for this purpose has been used and no additional vaccine has become available because of the national delay in vaccine production. Vaccine continues to be available through some health care providers in King County, but remains in very short supply.
Over the three days of the vaccination clinic this week, an estimated 3000 people without health insurance and with significant health problems received H1N1 vaccine at the Public Health clinics. While all health care providers are facing shortages, many of those most in need of vaccine will have the opportunity to receive vaccine in the coming weeks, as the expected delivery of additional orders will bring the total amount received in King County to 90,000 doses by next Friday, October 30.
“We wish we had more vaccine available now, but are hostage to current unpredictable delays in national vaccine production. With limited supplies, it’s all the more important to make sure that we use every dose as soon as we can,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “We’re glad we were rapidly able to use the doses we had to protect many people at highest risk.”
Public Health is responsible for the allocation of all H1N1 vaccine to the health care community in King County. Because there is less vaccine than is needed, supplies are distributed proportionally and in rotation based on the date of provider order. By the end of next week, most King County health care providers are expected to receive the first portion of their requested amount to vaccinate their highest-risk patients. Public Health plans to resume H1N1 vaccination clinics when the next allocation for its clinic order comes due.
As more vaccine comes into the county and to health care providers each week, people should contact their health care provider to find out when they expect to receive vaccine. Health care providers who have not ordered vaccine may still do so from Public Health.
Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community or call the Flu Hotline at 877-903-KING (5464), which will be staffed with operators to answer questions for King County residents about H1N1 influenza. Hours of operation with operators will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.
Friday afternoon around 2:25pm, two men were shot in the 1200 block of SW 119th, and as we drove by around 3:30pm we witnessed some of the aftermath, including five King County Sheriff’s vehicles parked near Geno’s Coffee, and cops scouring an area at the intersection of 16th SW and SW 116th, near the border of White Center and Burien.
According to authorities, police were called to the area when a man reported he’d been “grazed” with a pellet gun, which may have actually been an actual gun. The gunman reportedly ran off with two other youths, then as cops were interviewing the victim, another male who’d really been shot came out of a nearby house.
Officers searched the area and found the alleged gunman and two teens around 3pm.
The victim of the shooting was taken to a hospital, and the man who originally claimed to have been “grazed” was treated for a minor injury.
All victims are expected to survive.
According to The Seattle Times, police have arrested two suspects in the shooting death (reported here Oct. 31st) of a 15-year old boy in Boulevard Park on Thursday, Oct. 30th.
The two teens, from Kent, include a 14-year-old believed to be the shooter and a 15-year-old alleged to be the driver.
Both are accused in the Oct. 30th shooting death of James Jametsky during a marijuana sale in an apartment building parking lot.
According to police, Jametsky was at a Boulevard Park apartment babysitting his 3-year-old nephew when he went outside to talk to someone in a car, who then shot him dead.
According to numerous sources, a 17-year-old 15-year old boy was shot and killed Thursday night in the 1800 block of South 118th Street in Boulevard Park neighborhood.
Apparently, the boy was talking to someone inside a white car in the parking lot of an apartment complex when he was shot.
The car, a white Toyota or Mitsubishi, then sped off.
SOURCES:
According to several news sources, a man was found shot to death in his car near SeaTac Airport early Monday morning.
The man, in his 30s, was found slumped over the wheel in a car near the intersection of International Blvd (aka Highway 99) and State Route 518 just after midnight.
The shooter remains at large.
Apaprently, SR-518 was closed down for a while as police dogs and a helicopter searched the area, causing backups for drivers headed to or from the area.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released.
SOURCES:
The King County Public Health Department announced that the new flu vaccine has arrived, which means it’s time to start planning on when and where to “get poked” in the White Center area.
Unlike a few years ago, this year there’s plenty of flu vaccine to go around.
Vaccination is recommended to protect people at high-risk for complications from the flu, including:
- Children aged six months until their 19th birthday
- Pregnant women
- People 50 years of age and older
- People, 6 months or older, with certain chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease (including asthma), kidney disease or diabetes
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for health complications from flu should be vaccinated as well, including:
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age, who are too young to be vaccinated
- Healthcare workers
King County Health has created a website to help you find nearby flu shots (click here and enter your zip code on the right), but we’ve taken it one step further and created our own customized, interactive and regional “Places to Get Poked Map” – just click on a nearby pushpin, or use the zoom in (+) and out (-) controls on the left and you’ll see a listing of the store or pharmacy where you can get a flu shot:
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