Flu Shot Clinics Draw Crowds

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

The flu pandemic may be on its way out for now, but that didn't stop thousands of kids from showing up for H1N1 immunizations Wednesday at vaccination clinics in Anoka and Hennepin counties.

Several thousand people lined up around the Schwan Center in Blaine 
for vaccinations at the flu vaccination clinic, which was 
administered by the Anoka County Health Department

 The flu pandemic may be on its way out for now, but that didn't stop thousands of kids from showing up for H1N1 immunizations Wednesday at vaccination clinics in Anoka and Hennepin counties.

Parents with children in tow began lining up at 1 p.m. for the 2:30 clinic sponsored by Anoka county at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Throughout the afternoon the line meandered through the vast parking lot before entering the Schwan Center where the parents and kids were directed to the appropriate tables for their vaccines.

The county provided sidewalk chalk for the kids to use while they waited outside.

"As a parent what I loved was the abundance of sidewalk chalk drawing outside the entrance," said Martha Weaver, spokesperson for Anoka County. "That was an indicator that we had the audience we wanted."

The clinic was scheduled to run until 8:30 p.m. or until the vaccine ran out. In Hennepin County, two clinics were scheduled to run until 7:30 and 8:30.

After weeks of shortages, the vaccine is finally becoming more widely available -- just as the flu pandemic continued to wane for the third week in a row, according to new numbers reported Wednesday by state health officials. But state officials warned that it doesn't mean you can stop washing your hands.

December is just around the corner, and that's when the first seasonal flu cases start popping up, said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, state epidemiologist for the Minnesota Department of Health. Also, if past pandemics are any guide, there could be a third wave of H1N1 flu in January or February.

"I don't want people to let up," Lynfield said.