By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — His face pinched in a momentary wince, Stephen Koon’s eyes screwed shut, he held his breath and took his H1N1 vaccination like a man.
Stephen, 9, was one of dozens of people to receive the vaccination at the Ashtabula County Department of Health clinic and his siblings Krisa, 7, and Jason, 11, didn’t escape the needle stick, either.
The ACDH holds H1N1 vaccination clinics on Mondays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the health department building. Children under age 9 will need two shots, given 28 days apart, for complete protection, Ashtabula County Health Department director of nursing Christine Kettunen said.
“The work here has been very busy or very steady,” Kettunen said. “But we are moving people through. We have four nurses here today and they are keeping up with the crowd.”
Kettunen said the health department has run out of seasonal flu shots, but is offering the free H1N1 vaccinations to all children. Adults under 64 with underlying conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or heart or kidney problems are also eligible for the shot.
“It has been found that people age 65 and over have likely been exposed to this strain of flu sometime in their lifetime. Very few people over age 65 will get the swine flu,” she said.
With a limited supply of H1N1 vaccinations on hand, Kettunen said the health department is targeting children and at-risk adults first, including adults or caretakers of infants under 6 months old.
“Later, as more shots arrive, we will open the vaccination clinics to everyone,” she said. “We expect weekly shipments of the vaccine.”
Most school-age children can be vaccinated at their schools, Kettunen said.
Anyone with questions about H1N1 can call the Ashtabula County Red Cross hot line (576-1463) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting today.
University Hospitals also has set up a hot line for the swine flu (216-844-7246).
Krista Koon shed just a few tears as nurse Shirley Platano administered the shot. Mom Tammy Koon of Williamsfield Township said she and husband Keith “thought long and hard” about the H1N1 vaccination before they brought their three children to the health department.
“It wasn’t a no-brainer,” she said. “I called their doctors and (allergy and asthma) specialists to make sure they would recommend getting the vaccination.”
Tammy Koon said two of her nieces caught the swine flu and suffered greatly with the sickness.
“They are both in their late 20’s, but they have severe asthma. The coughing was unbelievable. They were really, really sick and it scared us.”
