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Prison inmates to get H1N1 vaccine before many school kids

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer Updated 4:36 PM Wednesday, October 28, 2009

COLUMBUS — More than 8,800 prison inmates may get H1N1 vaccinations before many Ohio school children, workers and families have a chance to be inoculated against swine flu.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said it expects delivery any day now for 10,876 doses to cover 1,984 prison medical workers and 8,892 inmates who are pregnant, diabetic, under 18 years of age or have chronic pulmonary or immuno-compromising conditions.

The department expects to have vaccinations available for another 52,487 employees and inmates sometime in December, according to spokeswoman JoEllen Smith.

A limited amount of Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication used to treat flu symptoms, has been distributed to the prisons in case of H1N1 outbreaks, she said.

The prison department, which spends $240 million a year on inmate health care, does not have a figure for how much administering the H1N1 vaccines will cost.

The Department of Youth Services will distribute H1N1 vaccinations to youth prisons as soon as they arrive, a department spokeswoman said. All of the DYS 1,150 inmates are in a priority group designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since they are ages 21 and younger.

The first vaccinations are to go to pregnant women, people between 6 months and 24 years old, direct medical workers, people between 25 and 64 with chronic medical conditions, and people who live with or care for infants younger than six months, according to CDC guidelines.

As of this week, Ohio has ordered and distributed 595,200 H1N1 vaccine doses, according to state Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss. Some health clinic have been seeing long lines and dwindling supplies of the vaccines.

“Demand is clearly higher than supply. We urge people to be patient,” Weiss said.

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This is bull****, if anything inmates are who we should test our vaccines and other medications on, not animals or anything else, that a way if they die, nobody cares! Wow, if i didnt have a life, prison would be the way to go...free shelter, free food, free medication, no bills, and now free vaccines!!

me
6:50 PM, 11/14/2009

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How's that whole "Change" thing working for you? Obama and his cronies better get ready for some real change in the mid-term elections. Won't be soon enough as he gets us trillions upon trillions more in debt to make sure the prisioners are cared for better than our children. Makes you wonder who will come first with the government run healthcare, rapists and drug dealers or children? And by the way, How's that whole "CHANGE" thing working for you?

Obama
2:59 PM, 11/5/2009

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Heather....you're an idiot!!!! Only one point of your argument is true.....and that's precisely what makes this so messed up. true...people in close proximity to one another are going to pass it like wildfire.....so why in the hell aren't those doses going to schools instead of prisons???? HUH ????? ******** !!!!!!!!! OHIO IS FREAKIN ******** !!!!!!

Jason
5:54 PM, 11/3/2009

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Think about it - who would pay the medical bills for the inmate if they get the flu - due to the close proximity of their living arrangements it would spread like wildfire to all inmates and those who visit them.

Do you really want your tax dollars going to the medical expenses of treating an outbreak in a prison?

The real question is why labs cannot be geared up by now to make enough for EVERYONE.

Heather
4:23 PM, 11/2/2009

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Cry Babies still didn't answer the question. "How's that whole CHANGE" thing working for ya? Feds can't even get a vaccine out on time, love to see them run health care. Well, the rapists, drug dealers, and car thieves will be happy anyway.

Obama
8:07 AM, 11/1/2009

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