County health departments across the suburbs are getting their first deliveries of swine flu vaccines, and clinics will start distributing them this month to people most at risk: children; those who work with children; and people of all ages with certain health conditions.

The vaccines have been coming in on a staggered schedule starting last week.
Unlike some of its neighbors, Cook County had not received H1N1 vaccines as of Monday, but health department officials said they should be ready to inoculate within a couple weeks.

The Cook County Health Department is planning on hosting eight vaccination clinics in the suburbs. Three of them will accept appointments, and five will be open for walk-in patients, said health department spokeswoman Amy Poore.

Once the county receives its first shipment, health personnel will be vaccinated first, and the clinics should be open by late October or early November, she said.

The clinics’ hours of operation and locations depend on how many vaccines the county receives. Cook County requested 350,000 vaccines, Poore said.

At nearby county health departments, the first shipments have contained just a portion of the total vaccines requested. For instance, Kane County received on Friday about 17,500 vaccines, a third of its total order.

Health officials are moving forward with inoculation, but on a limited basis before vaccinating the general population. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention designated five groups to be eligible first for vaccines:

n People aged 6 months to 24 years;

n People who live with or provide care for infants aged less than 6 months;

n Pregnant women;

n Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel;

n And people between 25 and 64 years old who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.