By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — Dozens of Geneva High School students took their medicine without complaint at Ashtabula County’s first H1N1 virus school clinic.
Some 315 students received the vaccine, aimed at heading off the swine flu, at a morning clinic, said Christine Kettunen, the county health department’s director of nursing.
Three nurses teamed to administer the doses in efficient and rapid fashion, Kettunen said. “It went real well,” she said.
The number of students treated was the number health officials anticipated, Kettunen said. “There were no surprises,” she said.
A larger number of children opted for injected vaccine instead of nasal mist, which could mean fewer doses available down the road for healthier children, Kettunen said. “We were hoping more kids would take the mist,” she said.
Clinics have been scheduled at many schools within the jurisdiction of the county health department. Some locations still need to be pinned down, officials have said. Conneaut will conduct its school clinics in early November.
Health departments in the county were scheduled to receive more than 20,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine for children and at-risk adults. Besides public schools, clinics will be established for home-schooled kids, officials have said.
