DALLAS - Mass flu shot clinics conjure up images of campouts, long lines and frustrated people turned away. But in Dallas County on Wednesday, the roll-out seemed to be going without a hitch.
At midday, there were no lines to report. Nearly 1,500 people received vaccinations in the first three hours of the free clinic at the Dallas County Health Department on Stemmons Freeway. Forty nurses were working to administer the vaccinations.
However, the day started with hundreds of people lining up early Wednesday morning to receive the vaccine, and health officials planned to dispense the doses an hour earlier than scheduled.
Daniel Zuniga, 8, of Dallas, his mom, two aunts and eight cousins had arrived at 3 a.m. and were sitting in lawn chairs and bundled in blankets. Doors at the health department's headquarters, 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, were expected to open by 8 a.m.
But shortly before 7 a.m., Daniel and his family were allowed inside the building to receive the vaccine.
"We're here getting the shot for the H10 flu that is killing people and we're getting it right now in Dallas," Daniel said, referring to the H1N1 virus, as his family waited in line.
The family had packed a lunch, but his mom, Griselda, said she hoped that her kids would still be able to make it to school. She said she was very worried about her children catching the flu from their classmates and has been trying to locate the vaccine.
"I watched the TV news closely to figure out where to go," she said.
A steady stream of cars pulled into the parking lot, and the line of people waiting had grown to about 500 around 7 a.m.
The shots are not available to everyone. If you are lucky enough to have health insurance and you don't suffer from any chronic diseases, don't bother to show up today. And if you don't live in Dallas County, you especially aren't welcome.
The county health department's meager 10,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine are supposed to go to a targeted group: uninsured and low-income county residents who also suffer health problems such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.
People 6 months to 24 years old and pregnant women will also get priority status.
"Studies show that individuals in these priority groups are most likely to have severe flu infections," said Dr. John Carlo, medical director of the county's Health and Human Services Department.
"We really want to protect them."
The county's flu clinic will run from until 4 p.m. today. Vaccinations will continue Thursday and Friday, if the county's supply of shots and flu mist holds up.
Anyone seeking a vaccination must have a driver's license or utility bill showing his name and an address within Dallas County. Officials are depending on people to tell the truth about their insurance status and any health conditions that make them eligible for a flu shot.
Also qualifying for flu shots are people who care for babies younger than 6 months old and health care workers, but only if they are uninsured.
County officials concede that they might be criticized for limiting H1N1 vaccinations to the people who typically rely on the government for immunizations. The ongoing vaccine shortage, which has been blamed on manufacturing delays, has people clamoring for flu shots whenever they become available.
Carlo noted that the health department received only a small portion, about 5 percent, of the total H1N1 flu vaccine sent so far to doctors, clinics and hospitals throughout Dallas County.
"Over 200,000 vaccinations have been delivered to the private sector," he said. "We're providing our continued support for those who have no other way to provide for their health. That is our role."
But with only a few exceptions, most private doctors and clinics are not publicizing their supplies beyond their own patients, and state and local health officials have not identified providers that received the scarce vaccine. That makes it difficult for those who want the vaccine to find it outside the county clinics.
"The bottom line is that we're still short of vaccine," Carlo said.
If it is any consolation, the local swine flu season appears to have waned in the last three weeks. School absentees and emergency room visits related to flu-like symptoms have dropped noticeably, he said.
"We're still seeing hospital cases and reports of death, but overall illness appears to be in dramatic decline," Carlo said.
"This is looking more like a typical flu season."
Dallas County has reported 15 deaths associated with the H1N1 flu this year.
On Tuesday, Tarrant County reported its sixth flu-related death - a man in his late 50s who died in October. No other details were released.
Beginning Wednesday, the Dallas County Health Department will offer the swine flu vaccine for county residents who are low-income, uninsured and at highest risk of severe flu complications. Those risk categories include:
??Pregnant women
??People who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months old
??Health care workers or emergency medical personnel
??People 6 months to 24 years old
??People 25 to 64 years old who have chronic medical conditions
Location: Dallas County Health Department, 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as long as the county's supply lasts
Cost: Free
Proof of residency: Driver's license or utility bill
