Capitol Hill parents — and parents to be — might want to plan a drugstore road trip this week. The county health department has announced a plan to distribute a new batch of H1N1 vaccine through area pharmacies.

According to the announcement, people eligible to receive vaccine through pharmacies include:

•     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

The list of participating stores and appointment availability can be found here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness
A county health spokesperson told the West Seattle Blog this list will be updated over the weekend ‘as availability changes.’

View King County pharmacies with H1N1 vaccine in a larger map

This Google Map provided by the county shows the pharmacy locations. An additional important thing to note: None of the stores currently on the list have staff licensed or trained to vaccinate infants so you’ll need to visit your pediatrician for that. Any parent who has made a call to a pediatrician lately knows to expect busy phone lines, long waits and a challenge to find open appointment times.

Also, there is an up-to-$22 fee for administering the ‘swine flue’ vaccine, according to the announcement.

According to the county, with limited national vaccine supplies, Public Health – Seattle & King County has not been able to make the vaccine widely available. As more vaccine becomes available, the announcement says there will be additional sites for getting vaccinated, including community clinics.

Here’s the county’s announcement:

Friday, November 6, 2009

 

Limited amounts of vaccine available; some pharmacies taking appointments now

KING COUNTY, WA – To provide another option for people prioritized to receive H1N1 vaccine, selected King County pharmacies are receiving limited supplies to begin vaccinating. A total of 15,000 doses of vaccine have been allocated to pharmacies, with more available in future weeks.

Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today; some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week. The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available and vaccination age ranges, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations. 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.

Pharmacy vaccination details

People eligible to receive vaccine through pharmacies include:

• 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

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 877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators to answer questions from King County residents about H1N1 influenza. Hours of operation with operators are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with 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.