What is Pertussis?


Priority Groups and Vaccination Locations

1)   Who should receive the vaccine first?
 
A.   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established five (5) priority groups for receiving the initial limited supply of vaccine.  The order of the list does not indicate order of priority.  These groups are: 

  • Pregnant women;
  • Children and young adults between the ages of 6 months and 24 years of age;
  • Caregivers of infants less than six months old
  • Healthcare providers and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, and;
  • Adults, ages 18 to 64, with chronic medical conditions. 

2)   Where can I obtain the H1N1 vaccine?
 
A.   YAMMRS has determined that the H1N1 vaccine will be provided to priority groups as follows:

  • Pregnant women – in OB/GYN provider offices
  • Infants and preschool children – at community vaccination sites, to be established
  • Students in grades K-12 in York and Adams counties – through on-site school vaccination efforts
  • College-age students (18-24 years of age) – three colleges in York and Adams counties have agreed to partner with YAMMRS to provide H1N1 vaccine to their students on campus.  Other individuals in this age category may receive the vaccine at community vaccination sites, to be established
  • Caregivers of infants less than six months old – at community vaccination sites, to be established
  • Healthcare providers and hospital-affiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel – through their respective Employee Health departments
  • Adults, ages 18 to 64, with chronic medical conditions – at community vaccination sites, to be established 

In addition, YAMMRS anticipates that local retail pharmacies may also be able to provide H1N1 vaccine to high priority groups. 
 
3)   Why are daycare providers and teachers not included in the H1N1 vaccination priority groups?
 
A.   The five priority groups for H1N1 vaccination were established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The Pennsylvania Department of Health who is ordering H1N1 vaccine from CDC and distributing it to local providers has requested that the initial supply be provided only to those five priority groups.  Once all people from those priority groups has had the opportunity to receive the vaccine and, depending on vaccine availability, the general public will have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
 
4)  Will daycare centers which care for babies less than 6 months be eligible to receive vaccinations since they care for a high risk group daily? 
 
A.   Individuals who work in daycare centers which care for infants less than 6 months would be eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine at community vaccination sites once available.  The dates, times and locations for those sites have not been determined yet, but will be posted at www.yammrs.org and through the media once available.
 
5)   My child is in a state approved kindergarten program at a private day-care facility that is not located in our school district. How can he get vaccinated?
 
A.   At the current time, YAMMRS has initiated plans to administer the H1N1 vaccine in both forms through individual schools in both York and Adams counties.  Since your child is not enrolled in one of these schools, YAMMRS recommends that he/she receive the vaccine at a community vaccination site when they are established.  Dates, times and locations for those sites are not available yet, but will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the media once determined.
 
In addition, YAMMRS has contacted directors of many early childhood/daycare centers and advised them of YAMMRS’ intent to administer the vaccine to preschool children in those locations. You might want to contact your kindergarten center to find out more about their plans.
 
6)   Why are the vaccines not being given to physicians offices to be administered? We take our children to a pediatrician for all other immunizations, what is different about this one?
 
A.   Given the amount of potential vaccines (70,000+) that need to be administered, most primary care providers advised YAMMRS that they believed it was not efficient for their physician offices to administer the vaccine to their pediatric patients. Physician offices already manage the care and treatment of sick children and it would be overwhelming to ask them to also administer the vaccine.  Also, the effort being conducted by YAMMRS will enable all children to have access to the vaccine if a parent or legal guardian decides that they should receive it, even those who may not regularly see their pediatrician. 
 
The primary care providers in our community strongly encourage all individuals in the high risk groups to receive the vaccine unless they are specifically advised not to receive it.

7)   Do you happen to have any information on where the clinical sites will be that health care workers can obtain the shots? If so, are they soon?
 
A.   If you are affiliated with one of the health care entities in York or AdamsCounty, you will likely receive the vaccine through your respective employer.  If you are an independent practitioner, community sites will be available, once a significant supply of vaccine is available, where you could receive the vaccine.  The times, dates and locations for those community sites will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the media once established.
 
8)   Where can pregnant women get a H1N1 vaccination? Is there any risk associated with vaccine?
 
A.   Pregnant women should be able to obtain the H1N1 vaccine through their OB/GYN provider once the vaccine is available in the injectable format.  Any concerns regarding risks and side effects of the vaccine should be discussed with OB/GYN provider.  The AmericanCollege of Obstetrics and Gynecology and our local obstetricians strongly encourage all women to receive the vaccine unless specifically advised not to be their obstetrician.
 
9)   My child is less than five year old, where would he receive the vaccine?
 
A.   Children under the age of 5 will have the opportunity to receive the H1N1 vaccine at community vaccination clinics once they are established.  The dates, times and locations for those clinics will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the media.  YAMMRS does not anticipate that those clinics will be available until mid- to late-November, depending on vaccine availability.
 
10)   Our Pre-school/Daycare facility serves 65 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 9 Years old. Is there a way to enroll our facility in the program for the H1N1 vaccine? If so, how do I go about that?
 
A.   Given that there are more than 387 early childhood centers and preschools in York and AdamsCounty, coordinating on-site vaccinations would be challenging.  Therefore, YAMMRS will be directing these children to obtain the H1N1 vaccine at community vaccination sites.  The dates, times and locations of these vaccination sites have not yet been determined.  Further information about them will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted by the media once they are established.  This is dependent on vaccine availability.
 
11)   I am 40 years old with chronic medical condition. Where should I get the vaccine?
 
A.   Individuals, ages 18 to 64 years of age, with chronic medical conditions will be able to receive the H1N1 vaccine at a community vaccination site.  The dates, times and locations of these sites have not yet been determined, but will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted by the media once available.  In addition, please check with community pharmacies as the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) will be approving some pharmacies to provide H1N1 vaccinations.
 
12)   My children are in the Red Lion School district.  When will the vaccines be administered? We are going out of the country in November and need to have them vaccinated before we go.
 
A.   YAMMRS has initiated its plans to administer the vaccine to nearly 70,000 K-12 students in York and Adams counties.  Since vaccine has not been received yet, YAMMRS cannot accurately predict when vaccinations will occur in specific school districts.  The schedule of when school districts will be vaccinated will be determined through a random selection process.  If you are out of the country when the vaccines are available in your children’s school district, you may have the opportunity to receive them through community immunization clinics which will be established in mid- to late November.  The dates, times and locations of these community vaccination clinics will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the media once available.

13)   How much will it cost to be vaccinated?

A.   There is no cost to individuals who receive the H1N1 vaccine through school and community-based vaccination clinics conducted by YAMMRS.

14)   My children attend a cyber charter school (or are homeschooled) and do not physically attend a school.  How can they receive the H1N1 vaccine? 

A.   YAMMRS will be holding community vaccination clinics when enough vaccine has been received. Your child may attend one of these vaccination clinics.  The dates, times and locations of them have not been established yet, but will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the media, once known.

15)   We have heard that the H1N1 vaccine is available in Maryland and in other parts of Pennsylvania.  Why is it not available in York and Adams counties?

A.   At this time, YAMMRS has not received any H1N1 vaccine, in either form, from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  The initial supply, which was very limited, that the Department of Health received from the manufacturer was distributed to areas of Pennsylvania that were experiencing high influenza-like activity.  These were the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas as well as the Northcentral part of the Commonwealth.  As more H1N1 vaccine becomes available in Pennsylvania, the Department of Health will distribute it according to their outlined plans.

Once notification of vaccine distribution is received, YAMMRS will begin its school-based vaccination efforts.  Since it is anticipated that the vaccine will be distributed in waves (versus a one-time large shipment), it is important that YAMMRS stagger vaccination efforts to keep pace with vaccine availability.  As more vaccine becomes available in York and Adams counties, community vaccination sites will be established and H1N1 vaccine will be available to the identified priority groups.  The dates, times and locations of those community sites will be posted at www.yammrs.org and promoted through the local media, once available.