H1N1 Vaccine Worth the 3 ½ Hour Wait

Would you wait 3 ½ hour hours for the swine flu vaccine?  I never thought I would but I did.  Call me crazy but we recently crossed the border into DC and stood in line with tons of other families for the opportunity to get the highly coveted H1N1 vaccine. 

As a teacher, I consider myself in a high risk group.  Just as health care professionals are classified in a risk group due to their exposure to sick individuals on a regular basis, as a teacher, I am on the front lines of dealing with sick kids every single day.  The almost 400 students in my school circulate through my computer lab on a regular basis.  I can only imagine what kinds of germs are living between the keys on the keyboards or multiplying on the mice.  I am borderline obsessive compulsive about washing my hands at work because I know I am a carrier of seasonal flu, cold germs, and swine flu and it is only a matter of time before I bring illness home to my own children.

So while the idea of waiting in a 3.5 hour line for a H1N1 vaccine may seem completely ludicrous with a 3 and 5 year old, it really wasn’t that bad.  I was quite impressed with the way the flu clinic was handled by the DC Department of Health.  I had heard that they were well managed and efficient but wasn’t sure what to expect until I was able to experience it for myself.  Lines were managed by security and there was a constant presence by members of the DOH who notified us about the priority groups and the kinds of vaccines available.  They provided us the waiting crowd as much information as they could about the numbers of people in line ahead of us and the amount of the injectable and mist they had on site to administer.  It was reassuring to see staff members walking the line and doing head counts to determine at what point they needed to tell people that there was a chance they might not receive the vaccine.  

Once we got closer to entering the building, there were numerous points where we were stopped and counted.  Tickets were given out for each person needing the vaccine and then another person verified the need for the vaccine for each individual before numbered paperwork was given to fill out. 

At many points during the night I felt like we were almost there only to be confronted with another turn in the line and an additional wait.  But in then end, every minute that we waited was worth it because we left the clinic with liquid gold flowing through our bodies which I hope will protect us from what is already in  our schools and community. 

I will continue to be diligent about hand washing, using hand sanitizer, and ensuring that my students continue to practice proper hygiene but now I can go to work with a little more peace of mind.  I may be a carrier of all the germs that come through our school’s doors but at least my family is a little bit more protected from H1N1 than they were before.

 

Original DC Metro Moms post.

When not obsessively compusively washing her hands, Leticia blogs at Tech Savvy Mama where she writes about quality technology for families.