WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | PCA to hold mass H1N1 vaccination clinic for the public Saturday
Member Center:
More of the H1N1 vaccine is making its way to our community. On Monday Primary Care Associates (PCA) got a thousand doses, after waiting weeks to get more of the swine flu vaccine. Now PCA plans to share its supply with the public with a mass vaccination clinic Saturday.
"We wanted to open this up to everyone because we knew we were going to get a lot of calls from other offices that couldn't get it, other patients that couldn't get it," said Dr. Edwin Polverino.
Western Virginia OB-GYN also got a hundred doses recently. Since many of its patients are pregnant, Dr. Mona Sadek feels lucky they at least have some vaccine.
"We actually ordered about 800 of them, but only a hundred came in. But we are very thankful and happy we have what have, obviously the demand has been very high," said Sadek.
News 7 spoke Wednesday morning with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, about the lag in the supply of the vaccine.
"We're beginning to catch up with the gap," said Sebelius.
She pointed out 32-million doses have gone out so far, with 10-million new doses this week.
"Each and every day those are being pushed out to states as fast as they come off the production line," said Sebelius.
The doses couldn't come soon enough for PCA. It's designated itself as a mass vaccination center. The physician practice is expected to get at least another 10-thousand doses to hold several more clinics for the public.
"The more people we can vaccinate the less disease there is going to be in our community. If there is less disease in our community there will be less morbidity and less death from the virus, that's our goal," said Polverino.
PCA Pharmacy Mass Vaccination Clinic:
Saturday November 7
Lee Hi Medical Center
2155 Apperson Drive in Salem
8:00-9:30 Children 2-18 & their parents only
9:30-5pm Anyone (until the supply runs out)
Administrative fee of $19.96 (cash or credit) or you can file with your insurance.
PCA has about a thousand doses available of the shot and about 100 doses of the nasal version for children.
