This afternoon, Health Commissioner Julia Sheen announced that the Department will hold its first mass vaccination for H1N1 territorywide. 

Vaccines will be administered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2009, at these DOH locations:

• St. Croix – Community Health Clinic at Charles Harwood Medical Complex
• St. John – Morris F. deCastro Clinic 
• St. Thomas – Community Health Clinic at Schneider Regional Medical Center

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that the first round of vaccines be given to the following priority populations due to the limited doses of H1N1 vaccines available to states and territories:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than six months 
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient care
• Children, ages six months to four years
• Children, ages five through 18, who have chronic medical conditions 

The H1N1 vaccine comes in both nasal sprays and injections and vaccination is voluntary, Sheen said.

“We expect that the H1N1 vaccine will be made available in larger quantities so that more persons will be vaccinated,” she said. “It is important for residents to know that the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against H1N1, so we recommend that they take both the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccine.”

The H1N1 vaccines for priority groups will again be administered on the following dates:

Monday, October, 26, 2009 

• 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Sunshine Mall, St. Croix

Thursday, October 29, 2009

• 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – UVI Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – St. Ursula’s Senior Center, St. John

The Department of Health will notify the public on future H1N1 vaccine site locations. For more information call (340) 773-1311, Ext. 3240.