H1N1 vaccinations for babies/small children: Sand Point line

If you consulted the county’s list of pharmacies offering vaccine and were thinking of going to Katterman’s Sand Point Pharmacy in the north end today because they’re offering a “walk-in” clinic for 6 months and up – West Seattle architect Brandon Nicholson sends photos and a warning that the line is already blocks long. 10:27 AM UPDATE: Update from Brandon – they’re out for the day but (as per the county page) planning to do this again tomorrow. Brandon is dad to a 12-month-old and say his West Seattle pediatrician isn’t expecting vaccine till next month, which is why they went to check out the only King County pharmacy offering it now to babies and toddlers.

1:17 PM UPDATE: More info from Brandon for any local families thinking about doing this tomorrow. After five hours, he got an appointment to bring his son back later this afternoon. Katterman’s is not taking appointments for the rest of today but will start the cycle again tomorrow morning. He got there at 7 am today and the line was already longer than a block, but he says you do NOT need to bring your child to stand out in the cold with you to get the appointment – when you get to the head of the line, they’ll give you a one-hour window to come back later and get the vaccine. $20/vaccine and he says cash will move things faster – you can be processed outside rather than going inside to deal with insurance or credit card. Location and contact info for the pharmacy is here (they’re even on Twitter and mentioned they have 700 doses for tomorrow).

Ken November 11, 2009 (10:29 am)

quite a spike in this chart for the NW

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/regions2008-2009/senreg10.htm

GenHillOne November 11, 2009 (10:38 am)

Why isn’t everyone doing this by appointment? Especially if this first wave is focusing on kids, it just seems insane to have people waiting in line (often outdoors) for hours.

Benjamin Lukoff November 11, 2009 (10:42 am)

Most places are doing this by appointment, but the appointments fill up quickly. Hence the long lines at walk-ins.

Confused November 11, 2009 (10:43 am)

GenHill – I agree 100% I am confused why so many are not going to their drs office instead. Both my medical providers have it, by appt if your a “at risk” person.

I also think the media has done a great job in feeding into the hysteria and fear of people. Sad. I wonder if the people waiting in line for hours are aware that it takes 2 wks for the shot to “kick in” and work?

Diane November 11, 2009 (10:49 am)

This is truly insane!
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aside from the crazy realization that parents are being forced to line up out on the streets for hours in order to protect their baby’s health, it looks like a mega PEPS gathering
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thanks to Brandon for info/pics

Diane November 11, 2009 (11:03 am)

now it’s on ch4 news; (long version); noon ch 4 now on 114
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parents/kids there since 5am

sam November 11, 2009 (11:13 am)

I’m sorry, but I still think the way King County has prioritized vaccine distribution is mis-guided, especially when children under 5 need 2 doses spaced 4 weeks apart for it to be effective. the vaccination clinics for “un-insured adults” was 3 weeks ago.

I imagine the vaccine available for that day may not have been acceptable for use by children, but still…

JH November 11, 2009 (11:30 am)

Better to be lucky enough to wait for the vaccine to kick in for two weeks than not have it at all!

JanS November 11, 2009 (11:39 am)

funny…I’m an “at risk” person. Daughter just informed me that one of her co-workers is “probable H1N1″…and daughter has been exposed (6 people out sick right now). Wonder how long it will take to filter down to me…daughter lives in the apt. next door to mine :( and my clinic hasn’t received their allotment yet. Now, if only I worked for Goldman Sachs…sigh…

JanS November 11, 2009 (11:41 am)

I’ve also heard that some docs are not doing the actual test for H1N1 on some patients(they say because it costs a lot)..if you have most of the symptoms, they’re just calling it H1N1…so how is that skewing the stats, since they’re not really sure?

j November 11, 2009 (12:08 pm)

I’ve been watching kids (middle schoolers) in my classroom drop like flies since the beginning of October. And yes, it’s true that they aren’t doing the actual tests to see if it’s H1N1. Some of my students have been confirmed as H1N1, so at school we do assume that most of the flu cases right now are H1N1 as the symptoms are the same as the confirmed cases.

On the bright side, I’ve been able to stay H1N1 free just by taking extra precautions like using handsanitizer, sanitizing things I use on a daily basis, washing my hands, and keeping my hands away from my face. Luckily, I received my vaccine last weekend from Overlake since I’m pregnant.

BMC November 11, 2009 (12:11 pm)

The Swedish WSeattle Childrens clinic contacted me last week because one of my toddler twins has had wheezing/asthma symptoms. Apparently they received only 50 doses for asthma/heart/cancer patients. We went in last Wednesday. The other twin wasn’t allowed (no health issues). They haven’t changed their phone message “still not available”. Its very difficult. I know others in other states who have gotten the shot without any problems!

Thanks for the pic – was considering going there but not now.

Teach! November 11, 2009 (12:12 pm)

My Doctor has told me that I am “High Risk”, but we are not able to find a vaccine available…. So I called King County Health, and was told, “No, you are not high risk…” I would like to think that my Doc, (who has known me and my health for 12 years) knows better….I work with hundreds of children EVERY day, and I am more concerned about my giving the virus to them, then getting it from them…. If the powers that be REALLY thought this out, they could have done a much better job. I’m not going to take a day off work to wait in some line for HOURS…. Only to be told they’ve run out… That’s just crazy.

sam November 11, 2009 (12:14 pm)

confused: I’m “at-risk”, but neither of my 2 doctors have in their office yet. that is why people are lining up at pharmacies.

thankfully our family practice doctor got some for the 17 month old, but said they have none for me yet- the vaccine formulation is different.

WSHC November 11, 2009 (12:15 pm)

Why do lemmings come to mind when I look at these photos?

Oliver November 11, 2009 (12:46 pm)

My y-year old son has asthma, yet we have not been called by our pediatrician at WS children’s clinic, and I have a baby. We waited in this horrible line at Katterman’s only to be told they were out for the day, try back tomorrow. This is so freaking frustrating. Many pregnant women and kids wih ashtma were in line with us and turned away.

marco November 11, 2009 (1:03 pm)

How can this be that someone like Swedish Physicians Children’s Clinic doesn’t have the vaccine (in any mentionable number), but you can get it at Safeway if you’re over 9 by just claiming you’re in a risk group???

Aim November 11, 2009 (1:43 pm)

marco I agree with you it’s ridiculous. I have lung disease. My pulmonologist’s office at a major medical center doesn’t have the vaccine yet, so I’m trying to get it at the neighborhood places on the list. If I get the flu it is truly a matter of life or death, and I resent the folks who lie to get vaccines.

JH November 11, 2009 (1:48 pm)

It was so much more organized in Snohomish County two weeks ago, where I took my teen to get the vaccine. They knew exactly how many vaccines they had, so stopped the line at the last number. No one had to wait in line that wasn’t getting it. Very organized inside also. Kudos to them (whoever ran it!). The ones who could get the nasal mist got it-the ones that could only get the shot (i.e. over 49, or pregnant, etc…) got it. Why is so hard for people in Seattle to organize this?

homesweethome November 11, 2009 (2:28 pm)

We went to this line and just couldn’t fathom it, glad to know its going on tomorrow but it seems like it will take 2 adults and a bit of logistics to conquer the line…we too are patients of Swedish Childrens Clinic which still has none yet we have friends in the Pac Med group and other pediatricians who get it easily. This is beyond ridiculous.

Oliver November 11, 2009 (2:49 pm)

I totally agree, I don’t know why the health care providers of high risk patients (who can actually confirm that someone is high risk) don’t have it!

AJP November 11, 2009 (2:54 pm)

@confused–People aren’t going to their doctor’s offices because either their doctors didn’t order it, or they don’t have it yet. It seems like the distribution pattern is pretty messed up. I’m pregnant and have several pregnant friends who got it at their doc’s offices 3 weeks ago or more. I finally got mine this week. The fact that there is no real screening at walk-in clinics and that low-risk people are getting the vaccine ahead of high-risk people is really frustrating. Why is this so disorganized?

c.c November 11, 2009 (3:15 pm)

when I see these pictures of masses of people(especially inside stores or clinics) it makes me think that this is a place where one might go and get the flu. If I were high risk, which I am not, I would want to stay as far away from these situations as possible. Maybe another reason why the providers should set appointments?

rudy November 11, 2009 (3:17 pm)

I drove past this line this morning with all three kids in the car (2 year old twins and 5 month old daughter). I just started laughing we didn’t even get out of the car. Saw the news truck there too. I did see a group of about 6 school age kids leaving the pharmacy after we turned around to head home. I am guessing since school is out today there was a greater turn out at this location than if it wasn’t Veteran’s Day. It is rather frustrating that this is the only place in King Co, I have heard of so far offering vaccines to kids under three. It would seem like some of the larger pediatric practices should have been a priority to get some vaccine in the early rounds. I can virtually guarantee they would have prioritized kids appropriately and kept things moving in an orderly fashion at the Swedish Children’s Clinic. Anyhoo, keep washing hands everyone!

I did call Walgreens on 35th a bit ago and they still have some left for adults. I may try to get one for myself there in the AM while kids are in preschool. I hate to drag my whole unvaccinated entourage into that place this afternoon. At least I’ll have received it and feel more comfortable around my infant daughter…

liars at Walgreens November 11, 2009 (3:31 pm)

rudy- I am sorry you’re struggling to get your kids vaccinated.

that is funny though, I double checked the King County list around 1, saw that Walgreen’s was taking appts.

I called then, and they said no.
guess I talked to the wrong person.

rudy November 11, 2009 (4:00 pm)

I too called Walgreens to ask for appt based upon this afternoon’s updated county list – employee said no appts but they still had some doses left for walk-ins on first come, first served basis. I decided not to argue with her – the employees at these places have probably had the week from H-E-double hockey sticks. I know TR reported a few days ago that when this list was originally released there were discrepancies. While I’m concerned for the health of my kids, I refuse to participate in the hysteria of it all too. This will soon pass and we’ll all have something new to worry about. If you saw the first story on 60 minutes last week……..

OP November 11, 2009 (4:32 pm)

Ah, people standing in the cold with their children, waiting to get something provided by the gov’t to help protect their families. Golly, it all reminds of me of the good days in the good old Soviet Union. Now who here needs me to spell out why we can’t allow our gov’t to federalize our health care system?

Shiree Nguyen November 11, 2009 (5:00 pm)

We were lucky enough to find left over vaccines at Wallgreens on 35th. Unfortunately they were only giving them to folks over 9. We’d gone for my 6 month and 3 year old but ended up with only my husband and I getting them. The funny thing is that if they were vaccinated, we would have passed on it and saved the doses for higher risk people even though we still qualified. However, we had no choice but to take the vaccines ourselves to protect them. Why couldn’t they get the vaccine you may wonder, well the pharmacist was not qualified to give it to anyone under 9. When the vaccines are so hard to come by, shouldn’t the places that receive them be able to cover all the high risk population?

Mags November 11, 2009 (5:32 pm)

I have a newborn and an 18 month old and I was first told to get the vaccination when I was pregnant. They did not have any available. Now they want me to have the vaccination because I have two small children. But my doctor’s office (in the Swedish network) still does not have any vaccine and has no idea when they will get it. My brother and cousin were both diagnosed with H1N1 recently. I am waiting patiently but I can understand why some people would wait in line especially if they are in a high risk category.

blezjez November 11, 2009 (7:51 pm)

High risk people all waiting together in close proximity, in the cold, seems like a bad idea — increasing the odds of actually contracting it — you’re all high risk and you’re all together…not good. It seems to me that no matter who you are, low or high risk, if you get vaccinated it will help all of us who do not get vaccinated… so hooray for all of you who are getting the vaccination — thank you for protecting me and mine too.
However, to use Canada as a test case, the data suggests the probably of dying from H1N1 if you get it is less than one percent, so if you do the math and shuffle Canada’s 33 million people and give six of them swine flu, the probably of a specific “you” dying from it would be about 0.0000000018. According to the National Safety Council this means your one-year odds of dying in a car accident is about one out of 6500. Therefore your lifetime probability (6500 ÷ 78 years life expectancy) of dying in a motor accident are about one in 83.

blezjez November 11, 2009 (8:19 pm)

OK, I tried to “Edit” my post, after accidentally posting while still composing… argh. Please disregard the Canadian reference above as it was in error that I posted — the “edit” feature did not work for some reason… it seemed like it worked from my end, but I guess it did not. How do you delete a post? Live and learn.

Jiggers November 12, 2009 (11:26 am)

I already got mines done. I don’t produce natural anti-bodies, so, I was first in line at my Dr’s office.

WSEvelyn November 13, 2009 (9:13 pm)

I am an adult and I have to say to a lot of the adults who are like me “high risk” come on! Give your spot in line to a young child or pregnant woman. I just came off from being sick for almost 2 weeks to a flu/cold and I would have felt by far worse knowing that someone more vulnerable such as a child, suffered from this instead of I. A “friend” of mine pushed herself to the head of the line and I just had to say “Come on!”.

Sorry, comment time is over.