The turnout at the first H1N1 flu clinic at the Collingwood legion isn’t as frenzied as clinics in other areas have been.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is screening at the door to make sure only people in the high risk groups are getting their H1N1 flu shot.
Manager of the Child Health Program, Peggy Govers, tells us once it’s determined the person can get the shot today, they are given an appointment time so they don’t have to stand in line.
Govers says at 10 AM when the clinic opened, health care providers were already giving out appointment times for the afternoon.
She says they plan to vaccinate 60 people an hour today and when all the appointments are given out, they will start handing out times for tomorrow’s clinic at Wasaga Stars Arena in Wasaga Beach.
That clinic will also run 10 AM to 8 PM and so will a clinic on Thursday at the Rec Plex in Wasaga.
Things were fairly calm at the legion before the clinic opened.
There were about 45 cars in the parking lot and around 19 people in line.
About half of them were returning for their scheduled time of between 10 AM and 10:30 AM.
Helen Jewell, who lives in Collingwood and volunteers with the Hospice and frequently visits nursing homes, was waiting in her car since 6 this morning.
She was one of the first people to get her appointment time.
Jewell says it was worth the wait to be one of the first in the area to get the shot because she doesn’t want to pass any illness on to the older people and the sick she works with.
Only high risk groups will get their H1N1 flu shot at area clinics until further notice.
High priority includes children under 5, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses such as asthma or diabetes, health care providers and caregivers of people who can’t be immunized.