I Almost Got The H1N1 Vaccine

When I found out that Montgomery County Department of Health was holding an H1N1 flu clinic this past Wednesday, I thought perfect! I'm 9 months pregnant and my almost 4 year old didn't have preschool that day. We'd get up our normal time and go wait in line. It shouldn't take too long, right? After all we both on the CDC's priority list.

My OB's office had no idea if (and when) they would receive any H1N1 vaccines, so they recommended that I try to get one on my own. After all, pregnant women have had a higher hospitalization rate for H1N1 than any other segment of the population. This is my only option for receiving the vaccine.

As most moms know, when you have small children, you never get anywhere on time. Even when I add extra time in. When we arrived at the Health Center, it was a 9:15 AM, only 15 minutes after the clinic was scheduled to start giving the H1N1 flu shots. Lo, and behold, the line wrapped around the building.

Not only that, it was chilly and this mom was woefully unprepared for the long wait. No books, no entertainment for the preschooler. Just half a Nutella sandwich and a juice box. Not to mention it was about 50 degrees. After waiting in line for 45 minutes we left.

Why did we leave? Even though both my daughter and I are in the high-risk category?

Part of it was definitely my fault. I was unprepared for the wait. (The news later reported it some waited over 2 1/2 hours). No books, no trusty Leapster 2, but I had snacks! 45 minutes was a long enough wait with a preschooler who was cold, cranky, and whiny. I also thought that maybe the wait would be around 30-45 minutes. I had made plans to carpool with a friend to a lunch event. Having left my cell phone at home, I had no way to reach her to cancel (and I didn't have her phone number memorized).

After flagging down one of the staff members (volunteers?) in the bright yellow vests, my questions were still unanswered. No, she had no idea how long the wait was based on where we were in line. "How come pregnant women and children are not given priority and still had to wait in line?" another pregnant woman behind me asked. The staff member only shrugged and said it was first come first served.

When she came back around 10 minutes later, she mentioned that there would be H1N1 clinics every week. That's when I considered bailing. By this point, we had moved up in the line where some other kids were playing tag, so thank goodness I didn't have to listen to more whining from my kid. We were still pretty far away from the entrance. Another nice woman behind me lent me her cell phone so I could call my husband to validate my desire to leave.

I was impressed by everyone involved in this second round of clinics. The Montgomery County Department of Health handled the traffic and parking very well. Everyone waited in line civilly. I didn't see anyone cutting in line nor was there any impatient yelling or fussing (except for those fussing at their kids). We all huddled in our spots to stay warm. The staff walking around outside answered all the questions they could, and no one impatiently took their anger out on them. 

However, why publish on the website a list of high priority people if it's just first come first served? If you're going to make an effort to publish it, at least have some sort of protocol to handle it. I understand that everyone many people are worried about contracting H1N1. Yes, the staff members assured everyone there were enough shots for everybody. Yes, it was my decision to step out of line and leave.

I'm glad we left. After hearing reports that a line formed 2 hours before the clinic opened, that there almost 1,000 people in line and some waited over 2 1/2 hours for their shot, I knew I made the right decision.

I'll be in line at the next clinic. Next time I'll be more prepared. I'll bring my preschooler a camping chair, books, and her Leapster. Maybe even a picnic lunch or mimosas hot chocolate. We can tailgate! Anything to make the wait go faster. If you see me there, I'll share my snacks with you.

An original DC Metro Moms post.

Thien-Kim usually blogs at Passion & Art but she's been too busy nesting sleeping and trying to get ready for her new arrival.

Photo courtesy of CDC