MEMPHIS, TN – People are gearing up in Shelby County to get the H1N1 vaccine for free. Tuesday the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department began offering the vaccine at no charge to the general public. Convincing people to get the vaccine is a tough sell, but the Health Department says more and more people are starting to listen.
Claire Beltran showed up to get vaccinated because she doesn’t want to take chances with the health of her 3-year-old daughter Raquel.
“I actually catch these things more easily than her, so I’m worried I'll catch it and give it to her,” Beltran said. “I'm worried if it comes back next year stronger, I want us to already be vaccinated.”
That's a stance the Health Department wishes more people would take.
"Flu vaccines are generally a tough sell in Shelby County but we had some good uptake this year,” said Dr. Helen Morrow, the Health Department’s chief medical officer. “We would like to see even more uptake of this vaccine.”
She thinks more people are overcoming their worries about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine.
“It has been tested, shown to be effective, and it has shown to be safe,” Morrow said.
Beltran said she's heard those concerns too, but she's not worried.
“While it's available just go ahead and get it,” she said.
Morrow said she's hopeful the demand will pick up -- the Health Department ordered 9,000 doses of the vaccine last week, and that shipment will start arriving this week. She said the Health Department has ordered about 40,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine since August. Now several thousand doses remain, she said, and new shipments will continue to arrive throughout the winter.
