Cottage Grove (KMTR) - The demand for the H1N1 vaccine continues to grow, but the supply is still not enough to meet the need.
Hundreds lined up in Cottage Grove Monday for a limited number of doses of the swine flu vaccine. At its longest, the line stretched out the door, down a block, and then back again.
Meanwhile, an effort by the Cottage Grove Community Center to manage the crowds backfired. They started handing out numbered tickets to people who showed up around noon, telling them to come back at 4:00 p.m. when the vaccination clinic was scheduled to open. However, no one cleared that idea with the people running the clinic, so Lane County Public Health officials didn't honor most of the tickets—leaving many out of luck and out of patience.
Ticket holder Becky White, holding a baby, said, “We brought toys and goodies for her to keep her happy. So, we would've stood and waited for four hours if that was the case … very frustrated.”
Some of those who did wait the three or four hours—ticket or not—said it was worth it. Many, including Ladonna Aday, said this flu seems worse any they've seen before.
“Everybody has somebody in their family they know who has it, or a relative far away, or whatever. And they've described it in detail and it's horrendous; the headaches,” Aday said. “I have a friend in Washington who had it and she had it for ten days!"
At Monday’s clinic, vaccines were only being given those in the high-priority groups. Everyone else will have to wait until more doses are available.
