With the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, sweeping the nation, many areas are offering the vaccine to anyone who wants it.
However, in St. Charles Parish there is such a shortage of the vaccine that offering it to all residents is not yet possible.
“The only people we’re administering (the vaccine) to now are the people at high risk,” said Julia Bodden with the St. Charles Community Health Center.
“We’re going to continue doing that until we get enough dosages for the entire population.”
Bodden said that of the 200 doses the center last received from the Department of Health, there are only 50 left.
“We don’t know when we’re going to get more from the Department of Health. Everything is contingent on them,” Bodden said. “Right now, we just have enough for the high risk group.”
Many areas across the country that do not have a shortage of the vaccine began distributing it at schools, but some ran into problems, such as vaccinating the wrong students without parental permission.
Rochelle Cancienne-Touchard, director of public information for the St. Charles Parish School District, said there are no plans to begin distributing the vaccine at schools when it becomes openly available.
“Right now, we’re not going to offer the vaccinations at the schools because of a liability issue at this point,” Cancienne-Touchard said. “However, we have an ongoing conversation with the Department of Health and they requested that we send out information through flyers and notices when those immunizations become available at the Community Health Center.”
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