Metro Health Drops Restrictions for Getting Swine Flu Shot

Starting Tuesday, Metro Health Department will give H1N1 vaccine shots to anyone who wants them.

Since October, when the first swine flu shots became available, Metro Health has limited its vaccine clinics to people with the greatest risk of complications from the disease: pregnant women, infants and their caregivers, health care workers, and people with certain health conditions.

So far, about 12-thousand have gotten the shot through the health department, and traffic at the walk-in clinic has slowed to a crawl. And now, larger shipments of vaccine are coming in.

Spokesman Brian Todd says the restrictions aren’t necessary anymore.

“We’ve seen a lot of people who are at-risk getting the shot. We want to keep seeing those, too, if someone hasn’t gotten the shot yet, but we do know and recognize that there’s really a greater supply overall throughout the community.”

The vaccine also comes in a nasal mist form, which has been available to anyone between 2 to 49 years old. All together, the Metro Health has administered around 24-thousand vaccinations. Todd says the department could get as many as 130-thousand new doses in the coming months.