Evanston still awaits word on the arrival of H1N1 vaccines, said Evonda Thomas, the city’s director of health and human services.
“We’re just in a holding pattern right now,” Thomas said. “We are still waiting to hear from the state.”
Although no specific dates have been provided to the city, the Health Department expects the vaccine sometime in the middle of this month, Thomas said. Clinics at Northwestern are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17, 18 and 19, but those dates could change depending on when the vaccinations arrive, Thomas said.
Fifty-three NU students reported flu-like systems last week, down from 86 the previous week, said University Spokesman Al Cubbage. Since Sept. 1, 230 students have reported flu-like symptoms through the Health Services Web site, but NU’s total number of cases from this fall is likely higher, Cubbage said.
When the vaccines arrive, they will be offered free to students, faculty and staff, Cubbage said. School officials are still planning the logistics of the vaccination clinics, he said.”Once we have the exact dates and times nailed down, we’ll be communicating that to the University community,” Cubbage said. Health Services is not conducting interviews this quarter, a representative said.
Evanston had planned its first scheduled vaccination clinic for emergency workers Tuesday, but the clinic was cancelled because no vaccine had arrived. When the shots arrive, the Department of Health and Human Services will run mass vaccination clinics, with priority going to school-age children and pregnant women, Thomas said. Other high-risk populations will get priority when the vaccine becomes available. Medical workers also face increased risk, as do young children and people with chronic health conditions.
The amount of vaccinations the city receives from the Illinois Department of Public Health will dictate which populations the city targets, Thomas said.
Although some hospitals in Chicago have already received a nasal spray form of the vaccine, the Cook County Department of Public Health has not yet received any vaccinations, Thomas said.
When the city learns more about the vaccine’s availability, the Health Department will announce it in a press release on its Web site, she said.
“It won’t be a secret,” Thomas said.
