King County Public Health announced Friday (Nov. 6th) that it is now offering a limited supply (15,000 for now) of H1N1 vaccines to qualified people at area pharmacies, including one in Des Moines, one in Kent and another in Federal Way (see interactive map below).
To get vaccinated, you have to make an appointment by telephone, and meet the criteria listed below:
- Pregnant women
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
- People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
- People between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems
- Healthcare and emergency workers with direct patient contact
The only Des Moines pharmacy with the new batch is:
- Bartell Drugs
27055 Pacific Hwy S
Des Moines, WA 98198-9250
(253) 839-1693 - Fred Meyer Pharmacy
25250 Pacific Hwy S
Kent, WA 98032-6539
(253) 946-7433 - Albertsons-Sav-on – 312th & Pacific
31009 Pacific Hwy South
Federal Way, WA 98003
(253) 946-4002
Here are two others nearby:
Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today (Fri. Nov. 6th); some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week. The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available, vaccination age ranges and administrative fee, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.aspx. This site will be updated Monday through Friday by noon; people should contact pharmacies directly for the most up-to-date information.
With limited national vaccine supplies, Public Health – Seattle & King County has had to delay its plan to make vaccine widely available through community venues. As more vaccine becomes available, there will be additional sites for getting vaccinated, including community clinics.
“Making vaccine available through pharmacies is an important next step in protecting our community, but supplies at both pharmacies and health care providers will continue to be limited for at least several weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Eventually there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but we are still dealing with limited vaccine supplies.”
With the latest deliveries this week, King County has received approximately 142,000 doses of vaccine. A new allocation of approximately 71,000 doses is being ordered for delivery to the county. Most of the vaccine is being made available through health care providers.
The amount of H1N1 vaccine at pharmacies will be limited, with each pharmacy receiving a few hundred doses each. Vaccine will be re-supplied to pharmacies as more becomes available over the coming weeks, so people should regularly check Public Health’s website for updates.
Many pharmacies are unable to vaccinate babies and young children because their staff is not licensed and/or trained for these age groups. Residents trying to vaccinate children should check with pharmacies directly and with their health care providers since vaccine is continuing to arrive.
Pharmacies may charge a fee for administering the vaccine, typically between $12 and $22 (not to exceed $22). This fee is covered by most health insurance. People should bring their health insurance information to the pharmacy, and they may need to submit a receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement.
Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators from 9am to 5pm weekdays to answer questions from residents about H1N1 influenza. There is also a special 24-hour nurse line service extended over this weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice. Recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.
View King County pharmacies with H1N1 vaccine in a larger map
In an effort to avoid having to close any more schools, Public Health Seattle and King County is asking parents to be on the front line of stopping flu infections, and are offering this informational checklist for parents:
Please talk to your children about how they are feeling.
If your child is sick, keep your child home. Staying home when sick helps reduce exposure to others and helps the sick person get well faster.
Answer these questions every morning before sending your child to school or child care:
- Does your child have a fever (100º F or 37. 7ºC)?
- Does your child have a sore throat, cough, body aches, vomiting, or diarrhea?
If you answered “yes” to both questions, your child might have the flu. Keep your child home from school for seven days or until symptoms are gone for 24 hours, whichever is longer.
If you answered “yes” to only one of the questions, keep your child home from school until symptoms are gone for 24 hours.
In addition to health and safety information about H1N1/Swine Flu, starting tomorrow, Wednesday May 6th, the Flu Hotline will offer callers an opportunity to speak with registered nurses.
(The hotline starts with a recorded message, follow the prompts for the best language option and when asked if you want “health and safety information about the H1N1 flu” or “if you have the flu,” follow the prompt to “if you have the flu.” This will take you to the menu that allows you to select “talk to a nurse.”)
Hotline nurses will tell callers how to manage their symptoms at home, tell them if they need to see a doctor or health care provider and answer other medical questions about H1N1 flu.
The Flu Hotline number is 1-877-903 KING (5464)
For more information, go to Public Health’s web site: www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-5464
UPDATE: Both the Highline and Federal Way school districts decided late Monday to re-open both Midway and Woodmont Elementary Schools Tuesday morning, May 5th, after King County’s Public Health Department determined that it’s no longer necessary for schools to remain closed this week.
Midway will re-open at 9:15am and Woodmont at 10:15am.
Public Health has changed its recommendations for school closures based on new information about the swine flu virus, leading to the following conclusions:
- Though it is a new virus strain, this strain of swine flu is no more severe than the common seasonal flu.
- The virus is already widespread in the community, so closing schools will not be effective in limiting its spread.
Students scheduled to go to Camp Waskowitz will be transported to camp after school starts on Tuesday.
School will be in session regular hours Tuesday, May 5 through Thursday, May 7 (Friday is a non-student day, as previously scheduled).
An informational meeting for parents will be held Tuesday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Midway (6:30 p.m. for Spanish-speaking parents.)
The district is monitoring the situation and working closely with Public Health. For a list of resources and information from Public Health, the CDC, and Highline Public Schools, click here.
The other Des Moines school that was closed, Woodmont Elementary, will stay closed until Monday, May 11th.
Friday afternoon (5/1), King County Public Health identified a new probable case of swine flu in Des Moines, and subsequently closed Midway Elementary School there until Monday, May 11th.
The illness was mild, and the child is recovering.
The Highline School District school is located at 22447 24th Ave South in Des Moines, making it the second school in that city to be closed; as we previously reported, Woodmont Elementary was closed Thursday.
Here’s the statement as posted on the Highline School District website:
A student at Midway Elementary has been diagnosed with a probable case of swine flu. Public Health has requested the school be closed for seven days so there will be no school May 4 – 8.
School will resume at Midway on Monday, May 11.
The district is monitoring the situation and working closely with Public Health. For information on Highline’s response plan and what you can do to protect yourself and your family, click here.
Public Health also opened a Flu Hotline for the public at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which will be staffed from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Interpreters are available. This hotline will provide health and safety information on the current Swine Flu outbreak. If you need medical advice, contact your health care provider.
Some local hospitals and health care providers are reporting that many people are unnecessarily going to emergency rooms and doctors’ offices with mild symptoms. In terms of seeking medical care, use the same judgment you would use during a typical flu season.
Do not seek medical care if you are not ill or have mild symptoms for which you would not ordinarily seek medical care. If you have more severe symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches or are feeling more seriously ill, call your health care provider to discuss your symptoms and if you need to be evaluated.
“It is not surprising that we are seeing more infected people, and we expect more over the coming days and even weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director & Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “So far, locally and nationally, this swine flu strain appears to be no more severe than the flu we’d see in a typical flu season. We will continue to learn about this virus and watch its activity in the community.”
As the virus becomes more common, Public Health is recommending new steps to help reduce future infections in schools.
“Our parents are at the front lines of stopping the spread of infection. We are urging all parents to assess their kids every morning to see if they’re sick, and keep them home if they are,” said Dr. Fleming. “In addition, we will be working with schools across King County to help them establish health checks at school entry, so that sick students are identified and sent home before they expose other children.”
For more information, please visit King County’s special swine flu website here.
Effective Friday, May 1st, Woodmont Elementary School in Des Moines is one of four schools in King County to close due to probable swine flu infections.
No classes will be held, and all students are asked to stay home.
King County Public Health, working with both the Federal Way and Seattle School Districts decided Thursday that the best course of action is to close all schools where probable cases may have attended for at least seven days.
The schools, which are all scheduled to re-open May 8th, include:
- Woodmont Elementary, located at 26454 16th Ave South in Des Moines will close starting Friday May 1st
- Madrona K-8, which was closed today and will open again on March 7.
- Seattle’s Aki Kurose Middle School
- Stevens Elementary K-8 in Seattle
Here’s a letter that was published on the school’s website (PDF) from Superintendent Tom Murphy:
April 30, 2009
Dear Federal Way Public Schools Students, Families and Staff:
We have received notification from the King County Health Department that a student at Woodmont Elementary has a probable case of H1N1 Influenza (“swine flu”). At the end of school today, the building will be closed for seven days. Parents have been asked to keep their students home. The school will re-open on Monday, May 11.
Obviously, the H1N1 Flu situation continues to change quickly. It’s not unlikely that we will see more cases of H1N1 Flu and school closures in our district. Federal Way Public Schools staff members are working closely with the local, state, and national health agencies to investigate any illnesses and/or infections. While this is a time to prepare, it’s not time to panic. In 2005, when “bird flu” concerns emerged, the State Department of Health, OSPI, and other state and local agencies created a multi-step plan to deal with a possible pandemic. That plan is helping schools and government agencies decide a course of action as this flu outbreak runs its course.
Here’s what Federal Way Public Schools is doing. First, students or staff with a fever of 100 degrees or higher are asked to stay home. If these individuals are experiencing other symptoms – primarily headaches, body aches and coughing – they will be directed to go to a health care provider. The health care provider is responsible for determining if the individual may be infected with the H1N1 Flu. When H1N1 Flu is a possibility, a sample will be sent to the King County Health Department, who will run a test. If H1N1 Flu is confirmed, the district will be notified by the Health Department and will take the measures they direct us to.
In Washington, the local Health Department is in charge of determining if and when a school will be closed. King County Health has already determined that in the event of even a single H1N1 Flu case among staff or students, a school will be closed for a period of seven days. While the school is closed, the district’s maintenance staff will take measures to thoroughly disinfect the building.
Keep in mind that it’s allergy season in Washington, meaning sniffles, sinus headaches and stuffy noses are common. In addition, the normal flu season is still winding down. Testing for the specific virus is the only way to know which flu these individuals have. Staff and parents will be notified of a case of H1N1 flu, but not if a child or staff member is sent home with another illness. H1N1 flu is much more severe than colds or allergy symptoms. Its symptoms are fever, sore throat, cough, body aches, headaches, chills, and fatigue. The illness may last up to seven days, but people are considered to be contagious as long as symptoms persist. If you or your child is showing mild flu-like symptoms, telephone your physician if necessary or your school’s nurse.
Here’s what you can do to prevent the spread of H1N1 Flu:
- Sneeze or cough into a tissue, elbow or sleeve. Throw the tissue in the trash after use.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Children may bring hand sanitizer to school; classrooms are stocked with it as well. However, soap and water are still the best germ-killers!
- Again – if you are sick, stay home.
If you have any questions feel free to call the Seattle King County Public Health Department at (206) 296-4949 or visit www.kingcounty.gov/health or visit the Centers for Disease Control website, www.cdc.gov.
You may also contact FWPS Health Services Coordinator Sue Overton at 253-945-4575.
Sincerely,
Tom Murphy, Superintendent
For more information, including updates on probable cases, please visit King County Public Health’s special swine flu website here.
by Just after 9pm Wednesday evening (4/29), King County Public Health Department announced that three probable cases of swine flu (H1N1) have been identified in the county.
All three were reported to be in Seattle, with none reported as being specific to the Des Moines area, but keep in mind that no associated zip codes of where the victims were from were released.
Laboratory samples have been sent to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Public Health – Seattle & King County is awaiting final confirmation.
Also today, the World Health Organization raised its pandemic swine flu alert level to Phase 5 – its second-highest level, and one that includes the language “a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent.”
The CDC has determined that the swine flu virus H1N1 is contagious and is spreading from human to human.
Symptoms of swine flu include:
- A fever of more than 100°F
- Coughing
- Joint aches
- Severe headache
- And, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea
“Now that swine flu is likely in King County, we expect to see more infections, but it’s too early to say how severe the illnesses will be. We are working to provide needed information and assistance to these people and their families. We are also working with health care providers and community partners to prepare in the event that the situation becomes more serious,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.
“We’ve prepared for this day for the past four years, and now we must all do our part to reduce its spread,” said Ron Sims, King County Executive. “We encourage everyone to get prepared at home, find out about plans at your job, and take steps to protect yourself, your family and the community by staying home when you are sick, washing your hands often and covering your coughs and sneezes.”
“In the last few years, Seattle has prepared for pandemic flu. We will activate our Emergency Operations Center at the first level so our emergency operations personnel can coordinate procedures and communications,” said Greg Nickels, Seattle Mayor.
As of April 29, there are three probable cases of swine flu in King County, in addition to two cases in Snohomish County and one case in Spokane County.
The three King County residents with probable swine flu include:
- A male child of Seattle who was hospitalized and is improving
- A male in his 20s from Seattle, not hospitalized and improving
- A woman in her 30s from Seattle, not hospitalized and improving
Officials did not release any other information, such as whether the victims had traveled to Mexico recently.
When should you seek medical care?
Use the same judgment you would use during a typical flu season. Do not seek medical care if you are not ill or have mild symptoms for which you would not ordinarily seek medical care. If you have more severe symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches or are feeling more seriously ill, call your health care provider to discuss your symptoms and if you need to be evaluated.
Public Health will continue to work with health care providers to test flu patients who develop severe illness or are associated with clusters, but does not currently recommend testing for all flu patients.
If the following flu-like symptoms are mild, medical attention is not typically required: runny nose or nasal stuffiness; low-grade fever for less than 3 days; mild headache; body aches and mild stomach upset.
What can I do now to get prepared?
This is an excellent time to get prepared at home and work for a possible influenza pandemic. See www.kingcounty.gov/health/pandemicflu
Everyday behaviors to stay healthy
- If you are sick, stay home from work or school.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- To further prevent the spread of germs, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Avoid close contact with sick people
What is swine flu?
“Swine flu” is an influenza A (H1N1) virus normally found in pigs. There are many such viruses and they rarely infect humans. The virus currently causing human illness is a new type of swine flu that has developed the ability to infect people and be transmitted from person to person.
Although this new virus is called “swine flu,” it is not transmitted from pigs to humans, or from eating pork products. Like other respiratory diseases, it is spread from person to person through coughs and sneezes. When people cough or sneeze, they spread germs through the air or onto surfaces that other people may touch.
Rest assured The Waterland Blog will be following this story closely, and we urge all readers to be vigilant in following the directions listed above, as well as seeking immediate help if you suffer from any associated flu-like symptoms.
For more information and frequent updates: www.kingcounty.gov/health/swineflu, or call the Public Health Hotline: 206-296-4949.
Here’s a link to a PDF called “Pandemic Flu Planning Guide” which is probably now worth a close read.
Monday afternoon (4/27), the King County Council held a special session on the swine flu with public health experts, who reassured councilmembers that despite heightened monitoring, the swine flu that recently originated in Mexico has not yet spread to the area.
No cases of swine flu have yet to be reported in Des Moines, let alone King County or the entire state of Washington, according to Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. He said the 40 cases confirmed in the U.S. have been mild, with no serious illnesses or deaths.
“At Public Health we are actively preparing with our partners for the real possibility of swine flu here in our region,” said Dr. Fleming. “Whether or not swine flu arrives in King County, now is the time to get prepared. The more we are all prepared at home, the better we’ll be able to respond and recover.”
He said Public Health has asked local health care providers to notify them of suspected swine flu cases and has made arrangements with the state Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the submittal of suspect lab specimens.
Dr. Jeff Duchin, Disease Control Officer for Communicable Disease at Public Health – Seattle & King County, said the CDC has asked to receive all suspect lab specimens to ensure that cases that may appear as seasonal flu are not in fact the new strain of swine flu. He also said local providers are being advised on how to screen patients who present flu-like symptoms and that Public Health will investigate any cases of severe unexplained respiratory illness. Dr. Duchin said Public Health is recommending that the public not seek health care that they would not otherwise seek.
“Today I was pleased to hear that King County is as prepared as any jurisdiction in the event of a pandemic flu,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson, chair of the King County Board of Health. “However, I am concerned that given the cuts proposed in the state budget and impending cuts to the County budget, our health department will have reduced capacity to respond to emergencies in the future.”
“The Council’s work in recent years calling for a pandemic flu response plan and stockpiling of Tamiflu means we are mobilized and ready to respond if swine flu strikes King County,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, sponsor of legislation to create a Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan for King County.
Dr. Fleming said the framework already laid out by the King County Council for the County’s comprehensive planning for pandemic flu will provide effective guidance and that the current response will provide useful lessons for updating the plan. The Council in 2007 adopted the Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan that recognizes:
- the County’s role in regional public health and emergency management response.
- the County’s duty as both a regional service provider and a local service provider for continued provision of police and paramedics, bus service, wastewater treatment and other public services in the event of a pandemic flu, and
- the County’s duty as a large employer to ensure that its own workplaces help prevent the spread of pandemic flu.
At Sea-Tac Airport, there’s no unusual alert or extra screenings of passengers yet, according to Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper.
However, the airport does have a quarantine zone at the south satellite that has room for several hundred people. Apparently it’s only been used once before during a screening for avian flu.
Alaska Airlines flies daily to and from Mexico, and the next plane from Mexico City is due to arrive Wednesday.
More information about emergency health preparedness can be found at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu.aspx.
For more information on Swine Flu, visit this website.
Here’s a “Swine Flu” map that shows that the nearest cases were up in Vancouver, B.C. and involved two men who had recently traveled to Mexico:
View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map
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