October 30, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The first shipment of H1N1 vaccine has arrived at our local Boards of Health, although the number of doses is very limited at this time. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has prioritized distribution in order to vaccinate the most susceptible groups first.
In order to get the vaccine to the most at risk groups as quickly as possible, the Cape Ann Emergency Planning Team has planned a clinic to administer inactivated N1H1 vaccine (injections) to select Cape Ann residents as follows:
• Pregnant women
• Household contacts of pregnant women in their third trimester
• Household contacts of infants less than 6 months old
• Children age 6 months to 9 years with chronic health conditions
The clinic will be held at the Fuller School in Gloucester this Thursday Nov 5th from 9 am until 12 noon. Please note that only those who meet the above criteria are eligible for vaccination at this time.
The Boards of Health anticipate regular shipments with limited amounts of H1N1 vaccine to continue. As soon as the next shipment arrives, we will be notifying parents and scheduling more clinics based on criteria set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The next targeted group will be ALL children from 6 months to 9 years old, starting at 6 months in age. We will move upward incrementally, by age, as more vaccine is delivered, scheduling clinics and distributing the vaccines as each shipment arrives.
We ask that parents be respectful of the need to vaccinate the most at risk populations first. Each clinic will be offering vaccines to specific groups and will not be accommodating those who do not meet the specified criteria.
Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Marcia Adams O’Neil, Ed.D., Superintendent
Cyndi Aldrich, RN; Joanne Seaman, RN; Donna Smith, RN School Nurses
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