H1N1

Last Saturday, Alice told me she was going to Sunnyvale as a Red Cross volunteer to help the County distribute H1N1 vaccine. I know all about vaccines. Have to get rabies shots every three years.
The Sunnyvale clinic got from the USA's taxpayers 1,000 standard doses and 100 preservative-free designated for pregnant ladies to start getting the vaccine out quickly to vulnerable populations as long as there are still vaccine shortages. Blue numbered cards for the pregnant ladies and green numbered cards for the others with preference first given to kids under 12. The first shots started about 9:30 AM. Alice did lots of Spanish translating.
She thought the saints of the day were the peds nurses who gave shots to screaming kids sitting on their laps all day long. Alice noticed many of the over-5s had that "See my tantrum" look in front of their totally overwhelmed parents. Really it's just a sharp pinch. Very fast, says Alice.
Here are photos of all the empty vaccine vials and one of the vests the nurses wore. Every drop was used by 4:30 PM after the clinic supervisor and another nurse sucked up the last drops from every vial to make enough half doses for under-3-years-old for kids and other doses for other kids under 12 waiting in line after all the green cards had been passed out. Alice helped the clinic supervisor to tell the line of people waiting what would happen with those last "extra" doses after those who got the numbered cards got shots. There were less than 25 extra doses. All the kids in line at the end got a dose. I bet many went home to dogs ready to play like me!!