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Jessica Nelms

Individuals who have yet to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine will soon have that opportunity as Oconee and Pickens counties are among those statewide that are opening flu clinics within the next couple of weeks. The first of two clinics in Pickens County actually begins today, while Oconee will hold its first on Nov. 18.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is receiving shipments of H1N1, or swine flu, vaccine and H1N1 clinics throughout South Carolina — including in Oconee and Pickens counties — are being set up in response.

“By the end of this week, through a network of 700 DHEC clinics and private providers statewide, we should have delivered 334,000 total doses that include both the injectable and nasal spray,” said DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley. “We have also been allocated an additional 131,300 doses that we are in the process of ordering, and they will be delivered next week.”

Beasley said DHEC plans to continue working to provide as many doses as necessary in South Carolina “and satisfy the demand of the public.”

“We’re going to do it as long as it takes,” he said.

The first H1N1 clinic to open in Oconee County will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Shaver Recreational Complex, located on 698 West South 4th St.; followed by an H1N1 clinic at Westminster Baptist Church, 212 East Windsor St., from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 24; and Shaver Recreational Complex, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

DHEC officials say the Oconee County clinics are for Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended groups only. According to the DHEC Web site (www.scdhec.gov), those groups include pregnant women; household contacts and caregivers for babies younger than six months of age; health care and emergency medical services personnel; all children from six months to 17 years of age; young adults from 18 to 24 years of age; and those ages 25-64, who have health conditions that put them at higher risk of medical complications from flu.

Pickens County will open its first H1N1 Flu Clinic today at 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pickens County Health Department. The second flu clinic, which will also take place at the health department, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5.

Walk-ins are welcome, contingent on sufficient supplies of H1N1 flu vaccine, and CDC recommended groups are especially encouraged to participate.

Beasley said the flu, especially H1N1, is a serious matter. There is no out-of-pocket charge for the H1N1 vaccine at a DHEC clinic

“Every year in South Carolina, an average of 800 people die from the flu and many more are sick and hospitalized,” Beasley said. “Obviously, no one knows what to expect throughout the rest of the H1N1 season, but flu is serious business, and we want people to take it seriously.”

While Beasley said that seasonal flu affects the “very young and very old,” he added that H1N1, since it is a new virus, has affected younger individuals more than the elderly.

Rachelle Shirley, public information officer for DHEC Appalachia I (representing both Oconee and Anderson counties), said individuals could also check with their physician regarding H1N1 vaccines.

“Many physicians have supplies on hand in their medical offices,” Shirley said.

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