Free swine flu shots Dec. 12

Any Boundary County resident who wants to get a free swine flu vaccination needs to call for an appointment between 5:30 and 7 p.m. today, Dec. 10.

The toll-free number is 877-415-5225.

A clinic will be held 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, in Bonners Ferry. Clinic locations will be given when an appointment is made.

“We have 250 appointments so far for Boundary County and are figuring on sending up to 500 doses, unless for some reason hundreds of people from your county call on Thursday,” said Cynthia Taggart, public information officer for Panhandle Health District.

The health district has 4,000 doses for the five-county area. As of Tuesday, 1,300 doses were allocated to people with appointments, Taggart said.

“It’s gotten much quieter (because not many people have the swine right now),” she said. “We’re trying to get the word out that this is not over yet. Everyone is hoping it is and we are too.”

For weeks, the health district and other vaccine providers have followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and provided the vaccine to people at the greatest risk for complications and worse from swine flu.

Many other states are on the brink of providing the vaccine to all ages as supplies increase and demand is met. The vaccine is available to all ages in most health districts in Idaho.

Everyone expecting a vaccination will need to fill out a consent form. No insurance information is required.