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For Daniel Ludwig, standing in the cold rain for a flu vaccination was worth it. Consider the possibilities of not getting the H1N1 vaccination. How about death?
“Sitting out in the rain for 30 minutes is better than dying because of H1N1,” said Daniel Ludwig of Independence.
And if you could survey people who, like Ludwig, spent 30 to 45 minutes standing outside the Independence Health Department, they’d tell you the same thing.
There was an assumption that frustration would surface Thursday afternoon outside the health department.
It was cold. It was raining. And it wasn’t like you were waiting in line to see your favorite celebrity.
No, you were waiting to have a health professional shoot mist up your nose so you don’t get the H1N1 virus.
Hundreds showed up Thursday for a four-hour flu vaccination clinic. The clinic ran from 3 to 7 p.m. People were lined up outside the door at 2:30 p.m.
The line quickly grew as the minutes passed. It stretched down the sidewalk and snaked around the corner of the intersection at Pacific Avenue and Liberty Street, some 100 feet from the health department’s front door.
It was estimated they had given close to 300 vaccinations by 3:30 p.m., according to Independence’s Health Director Larry Jones. The department had 700 doses on hand for the clinic.
“I don’t anticipate running out,” health director Larry Jones. “We have enough to do a four-hour clinic, knowing how much you can give per hour, we know we can do four hours worth. Now, whether we have enough inside by 6:30 p.m. that we have to close, I don’t know.”
Jones said they did not anticipate the sheer number of people who showed up.
Mostly that’s because of media coverage of the clinic prior to the event, he said.
Five mist stations were set up inside the clinic, which was the maximum number of stations given space capacity.
“We’re running them as fast as we can,” Jones said.
Jones said one or two people did not qualify for the vaccination because of a medical condition.
“It is kind of frustrating but if it helps keep the little ones healthy then it’s worth it,” said Kathy Owings, a teacher with the Independence School District, who was standing in line with her two children.
“I was thinking ‘my God, that’s a long line.’ But it (the line) has moved several times within the last 10 minutes. It’s moving but it’s kind of slow.”
Owings heard about the flu shots this morning on the news.
“I’m just thankful I got in line here,” Dennis Keyes said.
He’s a patient at Truman Medical Center-Lakewood and they ran out of shots there.
“I heard about this today so I got in line,” Keyes added. “I don’t care how long it takes.
Micki Fisher, a worker at the community mental health center, said she has “a lot of exposure” to the public and that makes her a vital candidate for the vaccine.
Fisher was standing in line for about 30 minutes. “I’m just waiting my turn.”
Standing in line without an umbrella, James Kobe, rain drops dripping off the bill of his hat and his coat soaked, said “it’s all worth it” because it’s free and a protector.
James and wife Michelle Kobe drove to the health department on the spur of the moment after Michelle heard about it.
For Daniel Ludwig, standing in the cold rain for a flu vaccination was worth it. Consider the possibilities of not getting the H1N1 vaccination. How about death?
“Sitting out in the rain for 30 minutes is better than dying because of H1N1,” said Daniel Ludwig of Independence.
And if you could survey people who, like Ludwig, spent 30 to 45 minutes standing outside the Independence Health Department, they’d tell you the same thing.
There was an assumption that frustration would surface Thursday afternoon outside the health department.
It was cold. It was raining. And it wasn’t like you were waiting in line to see your favorite celebrity.
No, you were waiting to have a health professional shoot mist up your nose so you don’t get the H1N1 virus.
Hundreds showed up Thursday for a four-hour flu vaccination clinic. The clinic ran from 3 to 7 p.m. People were lined up outside the door at 2:30 p.m.
The line quickly grew as the minutes passed. It stretched down the sidewalk and snaked around the corner of the intersection at Pacific Avenue and Liberty Street, some 100 feet from the health department’s front door.
It was estimated they had given close to 300 vaccinations by 3:30 p.m., according to Independence’s Health Director Larry Jones. The department had 700 doses on hand for the clinic.
“I don’t anticipate running out,” health director Larry Jones. “We have enough to do a four-hour clinic, knowing how much you can give per hour, we know we can do four hours worth. Now, whether we have enough inside by 6:30 p.m. that we have to close, I don’t know.”
Jones said they did not anticipate the sheer number of people who showed up.
Mostly that’s because of media coverage of the clinic prior to the event, he said.
Five mist stations were set up inside the clinic, which was the maximum number of stations given space capacity.
“We’re running them as fast as we can,” Jones said.
Jones said one or two people did not qualify for the vaccination because of a medical condition.
“It is kind of frustrating but if it helps keep the little ones healthy then it’s worth it,” said Kathy Owings, a teacher with the Independence School District, who was standing in line with her two children.
“I was thinking ‘my God, that’s a long line.’ But it (the line) has moved several times within the last 10 minutes. It’s moving but it’s kind of slow.”
Owings heard about the flu shots this morning on the news.
“I’m just thankful I got in line here,” Dennis Keyes said.
He’s a patient at Truman Medical Center-Lakewood and they ran out of shots there.
“I heard about this today so I got in line,” Keyes added. “I don’t care how long it takes.
Micki Fisher, a worker at the community mental health center, said she has “a lot of exposure” to the public and that makes her a vital candidate for the vaccine.
Fisher was standing in line for about 30 minutes. “I’m just waiting my turn.”
Standing in line without an umbrella, James Kobe, rain drops dripping off the bill of his hat and his coat soaked, said “it’s all worth it” because it’s free and a protector.
James and wife Michelle Kobe drove to the health department on the spur of the moment after Michelle heard about it.
