Residents of 3 counties to get H1N1 shots

Three Rivers District Health Department will host H1N1 public mass vaccination clinics next week.

The dates and locations:

* Tuesday, Nov. 10, 4-8 p.m., Wahoo High School

* Wednesday, Nov. 11, 4-8 p.m., Fremont High School

* Thursday, Nov. 12, 4-8 p.m., Blair High School.

The free vaccine will be available in the injectable and nasal mist forms. Three Rivers District Health Department will dispense the vaccine to anyone who is a resident of Dodge, Saunders or Washington counties, and who falls into one or more of the following priority groups:

* Pregnant women.

* Daily caregivers of children younger than 6 months of age.

* Health care and emergency medical services personnel (those who come in frequent contact with sick people).

* People from 6 months to 24 years of age.

* People 25 through 64 who have health conditions that would likely become life-threatening if they became sick with the flu.

Residents who don’t clearly fall into one of the priority groups should not attend this event.

Three Rivers Director Jeff Kuhr said people who are unsure about their priority status most likely do not fall into any of the groups.

“I don’t consider myself to be a member of a priority group, yet I’m responsible for distributing the vaccine throughout the three counties. I’ll get my H1N1 shot when the CDC loosens its priority guidelines,” Kuhr said in a news release.

Future public vaccination events will be determined based on the amount of vaccine allocated to the Three Rivers District Health Department.