Prosper Oakland County, MI,
11/9/2009
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announces that Oakland County Health Division nurses vaccinated more than 10,600 individuals against the H1N1 flu virus at the Palace of Auburn Hills clinic on Thursday November 5, 2009. A Health Division nurse inoculated one person every three seconds.
"I have to give credit where credit is due. George Miller and the county's Health Division workers had the foresight five years ago to practice vaccination clinics for a pandemic flu," Patterson says. "The results speak for themselves. In all Oakland County clinics, they have vaccinated just under 30,000 people."
Health and Human Services Director George Miller agrees. "The results do speak for themselves," Miller says. "We've had questions from the media why we are distributing the H1N1 vaccine in this fashion. Our numbers show that these clinics have been the most efficient way to vaccinate the target population."
Meanwhile, the majority of the vaccine released so far by the Centers for Disease Control to Oakland County is in the hands of private providers. "More than 75,000 of the doses we have received from the CDC to date have been distributed to private physicians and hospitals," says Kathy Forzley, Health Division manager. "But Oakland County residents should be aware that some physicians have opted not to carry any H1N1 flu vaccine at their private clinics."
Despite the thousands in line at Thursday's clinic, most individuals continue to show great patience. Some continue to find unique ways to pass the time. A member of the Palace security patrol got the wave going with people in line outside the building. A Rochester Hills man spotted an old high school classmate he had not seen in 20 years and passed his time reminiscing with his friend.
The Oakland County Executive's Office would like to thank the following organizations for their contributions toward another successful clinic: The Palace of Auburn Hills, The Auburn Hills Police Department, The Auburn Hills Fire Department, The Oakland County Health Division and volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team.
Oakland County will continue its school-based clinics when the Centers for Disease Control releases more vaccine to the Health Division. For further updates on future H1N1 vaccination clinics, stay tuned to the Health Division website:
http://www.oakgov.com/health.