More H1N1 clinics slated

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Click here to watch Fran Stanwood of the McHenry County Department of Health talk about the H1N1 vaccine and clinics around the area.

Centegra Health System will be distributing H1N1 vaccines at scheduled clinics today, and the McHenry County Department of Health also set up more of its own clinics.

Both the nasal mist and injectable forms of the vaccine will be distributed at Centegra’s clinics from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at four sites: 360 Station Drive in Crystal Lake; 10350 Haligus Road in Huntley; 4309 Medical Center Drive in McHenry; and 3707 Doty Road in Woodstock.

Centegra is charging a $15 administration fee for H1N1 shots. Bills for patients with Medicare and Medicaid coverage will be sent to insurance providers, but all others must pay at the time of service.

To check whether the clinics will be open, visit www.centegra.org.

The health department’s three additional clinics for the H1N1 vaccine, available by appointment only, will be next week.

Appointments can be made online at www.mcdh.info or by calling 815-334-2800.

Only the nasal mist form of the vaccine is being distributed at the health department clinics, which cannot be given to pregnant women or adults younger than 50 years old with underlying medical conditions.

People who qualify for the nasal vaccine include healthy people between the ages of 2 and 24, healthy health care workers or first responders younger than 50, and healthy people younger than 50 who care for infants younger than 6 months old.

The first clinic will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Marian Central Catholic High School, 1001 McHenry Ave., Woodstock.

The second clinic will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12 at Marengo High School, 110 Franks Road, Marengo.

The third clinic is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake.

In McHenry County, there has been one death and fewer than 20 hospitalizations because of the H1N1 virus, health department spokeswoman Debra Quackenbush said.

In schools, the reported H1N1 illness rate has started to decrease, but that is only a snapshot in time, Quackenbush said.

“It comes in waves of people being ill, then it flattens a bit and goes back up again,” she said. “We expect that to continue throughout the flu season.”

Barb Banker, director of community services for District 200, said that absentee rates across the district had been down this week.

“It would occur at a school, elevate to a certain level over a period of three or four days, then decline,” she said. “Some schools got the absentee increase earlier and some were later.”

At one point, for example, Creekside Middle School had a 17 percent absentee rate.

“Our average this year is between 4 [percent] and 6 percent,” Banker said. “We’re running at about average right now.”

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