|
|
||
|
|
||
Even before health officials started giving shots at 9 a.m., hundreds of people formed a line outside the Santa Clarita Sports Complex that snaked around a nearby building.
"By 7:45, 100 people were waiting in line," said Angela Lozano, an incident commander for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
By the end of the day, 2,465 of the 4,000 available H1N1 virus vaccines had been given out to those who qualified as high-risk patients, Lozano said.
Those who went to the clinic later in the morning were able to dodge the rush.
"There was no line at all," said Stevenson Ranch resident Kerri Siano, who brought her 3-year-old daughter for a shot. "We've been here probably 10 minutes at the most."
Siano said she went to the Canyon Country site because her doctor's office didn't have the supply in stock.
"It's just frustrating when you have health insurance and your provider doesn't have it," she said.
While locals were able to take advantage of the clinic's proximity, others drove from farther away.
Tracey Pooler traveled from her home in Pasadena to have her 16-month-old daughter vaccinated.
"She needed her second dose," she said. "This is the first place that has been available."
County officials said that while the Friday clinic was the last to be offered in the Santa Clarita Valley, two more will be available on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Los Angeles Valley College in the San Fernando Valley.
