NORFOLK -- Norfolk public school children will be among the first to receive the new H1N1 vaccine, expected to be available by month's end, school officials say.
Permission slips will be sent home with students as soon as the federal Centers for Disease Control finishes an accompanying vaccine information sheet for families.
If a parent/guardian returns the permission slip okaying the vaccination, nursing teams from the city health department will administer the vaccine once the parent/guardian returns the permission slip okaying the vaccination.
The vaccine, which will be free, will be given to younger children in two shots, spaced a month apart.
The Norfolk Health Department is working closely with Norfolk Public Schools officials to create a schedule for the vaccine clinics in the school buildings. School administrators will communicate the schedules with families as soon as possible.
Norfolk Health Department officials estimate it will take two to four weeks to get through all the schools for the first administration, Jennifer Francis, Norfolk Public Schools spokeswoman, told WVEC.com.
Meantime, the first shipments of H1N1 influenza nasal-mist vaccine have been delivered to hospitals, clinics and local health departments. The vaccine will be given to health care workers who have contact with patients. The public supply has not been distributed.
Va. Dept. of Health spokesman Larry Hill said Tuesday that Virginia is expecting 83,700 doses of the nasal mist for health care workers.
CHKD: 1200 doses Chesapeake Regional Med. Ctr.: 1200 doses Riverside's Tappahannock, Walter Reed hospitals: Unspecified number received Bon Secours Mary Immaculate: 100 doses
As of Tuesday, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center and CHKD had each received 1,200 doses of the spray; an unspecific number has reached Riverside's Walter Reed and Tappahannock hospitals and Bon Secours Mary Immaculate has 100 doses, officials told 13News' Sandra Parker.
For now, health care workers are the only people getting the vaccine; supplies for the general public will come later, officials stress.
The nasal spray uses a weakened live virus and should only be given to healthy people. The injectable vaccine is expected to arrive this week for high-risk groups, including pregnant women and people with existing illnesses.
By the end of October, health officials expect the state to have received about 1.3 million doses of the anticipated total allocation of 4.7 million doses of vaccine for the so-called swine flu.
Suffolk and Portsmouth are conducting H1H1 programs this week.
Suffolk's is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the North Suffolk Library,
Portsmouth is hosting a forum with medical experts from CHKD. It's October 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Norcom High School,
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
