Harford Health Departmetn Schedules Additional H1N1 Vaccination Clinics For General Population

From the Harford County Health Department:

Bel Air, MD – January 8, 2009 – During the observance of National Influenza Vaccination Week, January 10th through January 16th, 2010, the Harford County Health Department will hold two more H1N1 influenza injectable vaccine clinics for the general population on Wednesday, January 13th at their Woodbridge Station operations center located at 1321 Woodbridge Station Way in Edgewood, Maryland and on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at the Bel Air Armory, located at 37 North Main Street in downtown Bel Air. Both vaccination clinics will be available at no cost to the public.

The Wednesday, January 13th vaccination clinic at Woodbridge in Edgewood will be held between the hours of 1:30pm and 4:30pm. Appointment times are available but not required by calling the appointment Call-Center at 410-877-1050. Walk-ins are welcomed, as well. Persons with appointments are reminded not to arrive more than ten minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time.

The Friday, January 15th vaccination clinic at the historic Bel Air Armory will be conducted on a “walk-in” basis only between the hours of 10:00am through 3:00pm, in partnership with the Town of Bel Air and the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. “Employees, patrons of Bel Air businesses as well as visitors and the general public are invited to participate and are encouraged to ‘Stop, Shop, and Get Their (H1N1 vaccination) Shots,’ “ says Harford County Health Officer, Susan Kelly.

Continues Ms. Kelly, “This is a particularly convenient opportunity for the public to enjoy shopping at any of the of Bel Air retail venues, to partake of lunch at any of the assortment of downtown eating establishments, and to drop by the Armory to be vaccinated. Vaccination is safe and reliable, and it is the single most important way to prevent the spread of influenza. Because the seasonal vaccine does not protect against H1N1 influenza, nor does the H1N1 vaccine protect against seasonal influenza, it is especially important to get both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccinations this year.”

This year two different types of influenza (H1N1 and seasonal) are circulating in Maryland. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that from April to mid-November of 2009, there were approximately 47 million cases of H1N1 influenza in the United States with more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths. Flu experts warn that we should prepare for a possible third wave of the H1N1 flu.

National Influenza Vaccination Week is a national observance for purposes of highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination and promoting greater use of flu vaccine at a time when demand historically drops significantly. For additional information on these vaccination clinics and a current update on all scheduled clinics, visit the Harford County Health Department website at www.harfordcountyhealth.com or call 410-612-1779.