FORT PIERCE — Thousands of St. Lucie County residents waited in two-hour-long lines Saturday morning for the county’s first round of free H1N1 vaccinations.

The clinic was scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the St. Lucie County Logistics Center for those who fell within the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s high-risk priority groups. But early on, the St. Lucie County Health Department determined it reached its capacity of 2,500 vaccine recepients, which included a 1,000-person line that snaked around the outside of the building, and closed the parking lot by 10:15 a.m.

The swine flu inoculation on hand Saturday was specifically intended for members of the CDC’s priority groups, which include pregnant women; people who live with or care for children under 6 months of age; those ages 6 months to 24 years of age; health care and emergency medical services workers and 25- to 64-year olds with chronic health disorders or weakened immune systems.

“I’m pleased with how it worked, even though we knew there’d be some waiting time,” said Larry Lee, St. Lucie County Health Department administrator. “We figured we’d get it out there, even if there is some wait, and we’ll do it again and again as long as there is demand.”

Residents waited outside in lines that consistently were 1,000-people long, filled out paperwork inside and then sat in a waiting area for one of the 16 inoculation stations in a process that lasted about an hour and a half to two hours, said Operations Chief John Mullins.

Some residents already had arrived by midnight to wait in line, and by 9:15 a.m., about 1,000 people passed through the door to wait inside, Mullins said.

Other than having to turn away seniors who didn’t meet CDC priority group criteria, the health department and most patients agreed the operation went smoothly.

“It was very well-organized, everyone was pleasant and the line moved at a steady pace,” said Mari Souto, 41, of Port St. Lucie, who brought along her four children to get the shot.

The health department expects to receive about 147,000 doses of the vaccine by January for St. Lucie County, where four swine flu deaths have been reported, Lee said.

The vaccination will be administered again 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 7.

The department tentatively plans to hold a third round of shots Nov. 21 because children younger than age 10 who were vaccinated Saturday require a second dose within a month, Lee said.

Tags: swine flu, vaccination

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