Virginia has a limited number of H1N1 flu vaccines at the moment and these are being given to people on the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) priority list. This group includes pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health-care and emergency medical services personnel, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old and people ages 25 through 64 years old, who are at higher risk for the virus due to chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
For the rest of the population, more vaccine will be available in mid-November at pharmacies, health care provider offices, schools and local health departments.
Whether you fall into the category of being a priority or not, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website has a complete list of public vaccination sites, including pharmacies and local health departments. At the top of this page, you can type in your city and postal code to narrow the search considerably.
There is also a page for schools that will be hosting vaccination clinics. If your child’s school is on this list, you are advised to check with the school for vaccination schedules. Phone numbers are listed on the page.
Local health departments and phone numbers are available as well. Simply type in a Health District OR a Location OR a Zip Code OR the City you would like to locate, in the box at the top of the page to bring up results relevant to you and your family.
The VDH website has a swine flu hotline, as well. Contact them at 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343.)
For the seasonal flu, a link on the Flu.gov web page for Virginia, takes you to the American Lung Association website where you are asked to enter your zip code into the Flu Clinic Locator on the right-hand side of the page. This will give you the date, times, address, and phone number of the clinics offering seasonal flu shots near you, as well as a map showing where the clinic is located. The flu clinic locator is updated daily, so you will always get the most up-to-date information.
