Two South Side locations located in predominately Black communities are experiencing low turnout for the city’s free H1N1 vaccinations.
Two South Side locations located in predominately Black communities are experiencing low turnout for the city’s free H1N1 vaccinations.
Olive-Harvey College, 10001 S. Woodlawn, and Kennedy-King College, 6301 S. Halsted St., are among six sites where the Chicago Department of Public Health is offering free H1N1 vaccinations. The department of health offered the vaccinations at all of the city colleges.
Dr. Terry Mason, commissioner for the city’s Department of Public Health, said those two sites recently dispensed the fewest number of vaccines.
Even though 1,500 doses were available at each location, Olive- Harvey recently dispensed 746 and Kennedy-King only 451. In total, the city administered 30,000 vaccinations, including 9,300 vaccinations administered Saturday, according to health officials.
Mason said he is not sure why there was a low turnout at Olive- Harvey and Kennedy-King.
“I am at a lost of words as to why so few people in those communities came out for the vaccination,” Mason told the Defender. “I do know we have reached out to our community partners to make people aware so I know it’s not because they did not know.”
Tim Hadac, a spokesman for the CDPH, said it did more outreach in Black communities to ensure everyone knew about the free vaccinations.
“Knowing of long-standing, stubborn and unacceptable racial gaps in levels of flu vaccinations, we at CDPH worked with our partners at the Chicago Area Immunization Campaign to do additional outreach to communities of color,” Hadac explained.
The thought of standing in a long line to get vaccinated is what discouraged Sandra Gails, 45.
“I saw the long lines on TV and I am not about to stand in line for hours just to get a 10-minute shot,” Gails said.
Mason said the city welcomes anyone to come and receive the free H1N1 vaccination but encourages those who fall under the high-risk category to make it a point to get vaccinated.
That high-risk category is those age 6 months to 24 years old, health care workers, pregnant women, people work with children under 6 months old, and people age 25 to 64 with chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes.
There is no rigorous screening process to determine if a person falls under the high-risk category other than asking a few questions prior to administering the vaccination.
Mason cautioned that only healthy people should get both the regular flu vaccination and the H1N1.
“My definition of healthy is people who do not have chronic health issues,” explained Mason. “If a person gets both vaccinations one should be nasal and the other a shot.”
He added that the city’s vaccination drive, which only administers the H1N1 vaccination and not he regular flu, runs until Nov. 19.
“We will evaluate at that time whether we need to extend our vaccination drive,” said Mason.
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