Free flu vaccines for at-risk individuals will be available at county clinics Monday-Friday.

Public health officials, who have a limited amount of vaccines, are asking people to call their doctors first. Here’s a rundown of the clinics set for this week:

• Central: 5202 University Ave., San Diego, (619) 229-5400.
• North Central: 5055 Ruffin Road, San Diego, (858) 573-7300.
• North Coastal: 104 S. Barnes St., Oceanside, (760) 967-4401.
• North Inland: 606 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, (760) 740-4000.
• South: 690 Oxford St., Chula Vista, (619) 409-3110.
• East: 855 E. Madison Ave., El Cajon, (619) 441-6500.
• Immunization clinic: 3177A Ocean View Blvd., San Diego, (619) 595-4452.

The clinics run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. More
information is available by calling 211 or going to the Web site sdiz.org.

The top priorities for public health officials are children at least 6
months old and pregnant women.

People who care for infants, those who have underlying health problems, young adults up to 24, health care workers and first responders are also recommended to get H1N1 vaccines.

Across San Diego County, about 1.7 million residents fall into at-risk
categories.
Source: http://www.solanabeachsun.net/news/262314-flu-vaccine-to-be-available-all-week

If you get the shakes just thinking about getting a needle, you may be able to receive the vaccine in nasal mist form but you will need to check first to see whether you can safely take the nasal mist form of the flu vaccine or will have to get a shot. People who can safely get the nasal mist flu vaccine are as follows:

The list of people who can’t receive this shot is longer, so be sure to check. Basically, if you are pregnant, have a compromised immune system or a chronic health problem, you are not eligible for the nasal spray vaccine, as it could cause your condition to worsen. Also very young children and people over 50 should not get the nasal spray. Again, please check the list to get full details.

More shipments of the swine flu vaccine will be arriving in the coming weeks and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (S.C. DHEC) website will be adding new clinic listings as they become available.

There is a flu clinic finder on the South Carolina website where you can learn when and where you can get a seasonal flu vaccine and an H1N1 flu (swine flu) vaccine in your local community. Simply type in the county where you live and the type of clinic you’re looking for, i.e.  for a seasonal flu shot, a swine flu shot or “all” for both types of clinics.

Currently, seasonal flu shots are being offered by doctors, local public health departments, drugstores, and urgent care centers throughout the state.  You should contact your private health care provider to find out if he or she will be providing the vaccine. Local pharmacies that signed up to provide the swine flu vaccine, will advertise when it becomes available.

If you have any questions about the H1N1 vaccine, you can call 1-800-27SHOTS (1-800-2774687.)

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.