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ASTORINO ANNOUNCES HEALTH DEPT. TO HOLD MASS VACCINE DRILL
The flu vaccine point-of-distribution (POD) exercise will be held in the lobby of the Westchester Community College Physical Education Building on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. “This exercise will build on the county’s ability to respond rapidly to a large public health emergency and at the same time, provide up to 1,000 people at the community college with protection from the flu this season,” County Executive Astorino said. Dr. Sherlita Amler, Westchester County Commissioner of Health, said health department staff will train and supervise nursing school students and staff in how to vaccinate large numbers of county residents quickly and competently in case it is ever needed. “This exercise builds on our previous emergency preparedness training and provides a benefit to Westchester Community College’s students and staff who will be able to get a free flu shot conveniently on campus,” she said. Dr. Joseph Hankin, president of Westchester Community College, said the college was pleased to partner with the health department for this exercise. “This is a great opportunity for our student nurses and faculty to gain some real-world training and it also makes it easy for members of our community to be protected this flu season,” he said. The large scale flu vaccine point-of-distribution exercise (POD) is
required as part of an emergency preparedness grant from the New York State
Department of Health, which provided 1,000 doses of free flu vaccine for the
exercise.
Everyone six months and older should be vaccinated, but some people are more likely than others to have serious complications from influenza. Those include pregnant women, children younger than five, adults 50 years of age and older, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions. All it takes is one shot to be protected against the three common flu strains that are circulating this year. The shot is safe, effective and will provide immunity for the entire 2011-12 flu season, which typically runs from October through April. The shot is not a live virus vaccine, so it can’t give you the flu. Usually, the only side effect is a little temporary soreness and/or redness at the injection site.
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