The first clinic in Pierce County to dispense free swine flu vaccine will be Saturday in Puyallup.

It is one of six school-based clinics either planned or tentatively scheduled by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department between now and mid-December.

The clinics – at Emerald Ridge, Bethel, Clover Park, Mount Tahoma, Fife and Wilson high schools – are targeting young people between 2 and 24 years old who live within those districts.

As of now, no other school-based clinics are planned, though they might be in the future, Eileen Finnegan, acting public information officer for the Health Department, said Monday.

Parents should contact their schools to see whether clinics will be held there, Finnigan said.

The Health Department plans a couple of community clinics but has yet to set dates, she said.

“Everything is tentative (after Puyallup) based on vaccine availability,” Finnegan said. “We have no control over how it comes into the county.”

The county had hoped to have 120,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine by mid-October but so far has 14,000 doses, half of which are mist or nasal vaccine and half injectable shots.

The mist vaccine contains a live virus and is only for healthy individuals. Injectable doses have an inactive culture and can be taken by people with chronic medical problems and pregnant women.

State officials said Monday that by mid-November, there should be plenty of vaccine available for everyone who wants it. Pierce County expects eventually to receive 550,000 doses.

In the meantime, the Health Department has been closed-mouthed publicly about the clinics, fearing a run on clinics by people from outside the school districts.

“This is not a public clinic,” said Joby Winans, public information officer for the Health Department. “This is not where everyone can come to get a flu shot. The emphasis is on students in that school district.”

Regardless, no one will be turned away as long as vaccine is available, she said.

People who go the Puyallup clinic should get there early. There will be no more than 3,000 doses of vaccine available for a school district that has more than 22,000 students.

“That’s why the Health Department didn’t want to go overboard with news of the clinics,” said Karen Hansen, the school district’s executive director for communications.

Fliers announcing the clinic and who can be vaccinated were sent out Monday, Hansen said.

Responses to the arrival of the vaccine from a handful of Tacoma School District parents interviewed by The News Tribune were mixed.

Lynne Richmond of Tacoma has five kids, ranging from elementary school to college-age.

“Our kids already got the regular flu vaccine, and our doctor recommended the swine flu vaccine for the youngest, who’s under 10,” Richmond said last week as she dropped off her children at Washington-Hoyt Elementary School.

She said she probably will get the H1N1 shot for her youngest child, at least.

And she’s worried about her two oldest children, who are students at the University of Idaho. Nearby Washington State University was hit with an outbreak of swine flu among students in September.

“We’re holding our breath right now,” Richmond said.

Melissa Bell’s husband had the disease over the summer, and wound up in an intensive care unit.

“It’s a very scary thing,” the Tacoma woman said.

No other family members were affected, but she and her 9-year-old daughter plan to get vaccinated, Bell said.

Not all parents are sure they’ll have their children vaccinated.

“I just don’t think there’s enough knowledge (about the vaccine) to do it yet,” said Debbie Woodard, mother of two children, ages 6 and 8.

Ed Wolfer, whose kids are ages 7 and 12, said he’s still thinking it over, but thought they’d probably get the shots.

“My wife is an RN,” he said, adding his kids had gotten regular flu shots.

For some, the question is whether there’s any H1N1 vaccine to be had.

Production problems have slowed the arrival of the vaccine nationwide and in Washington. The pace of delivery has been about 30 percent slower than expected, Health Department Secretary Mary Selecky said Monday.

Once more vaccine arrives, children, health-care workers and pregnant women should be first in line, and everyone should plan on getting both the swine flu and the seasonal flu vaccines, Selecky said.

Swine flu continues to spread throughout the state, but because only hospitals report H1N1 cases to the Health Department, Selecky could not say how many people have come down with it.

Since mid-September, 163 people have been hospitalized in the state for strains of flu – nearly all identified as H1N1. Since the outbreak was identified in April, 24 people have died statewide, though one case was not swine flu.

More than 95 percent of the current cases of flu in Washington are believed to be swine flu. Seasonal flu is just starting to show up and typically peaks in midwinter.

Finnegan said she had no figures on how many swine flu patients had been hospitalized in Pierce County. Four people with swine flu have died in the county.

Mike Archbold: 253-597-8692

mike.archbold@thenewstribune.com

Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635

debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Who should get the H1N1 vaccine?

 • Anyone from 6 months through 24 years of age.

 • People 25 through 64 who have a higher risk of medical complications from the flu, pregnant women and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age.

 • Health-care and emergency medical services personnel.

The risk from infection for those 65 or older is less than for younger people. Once younger people have been vaccinated, clinics and providers should be able to offer vaccination to people 65 or older. Upcoming swine flu clinics

Clinics will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until the supply of vaccine runs out. Those coming to the clinics should be between the ages of 2 and 24 and be current residents or recent graduates of the school districts where the clinics are being held. Parents must accompany children under 18. Inoculations are free.

CONFIRMED:

Saturday: Emerald Ridge High School, 12405 184th St. E., Puyallup, Puyallup School District.

TENTATIVE:

Nov. 1: Bethel High School, 22212 38th Ave. E., Spanaway; Bethel and Franklin-Pierce school districts.

Nov. 7: Clover Park High School, 11023 Gravelly Lake Drive S.W., Lakewood; Clover Park and Steilacoom school districts.

Nov. 21: Mount Tahoma High School, 4634 S. 74th St., Tacoma; Tacoma School District.

Dec. 5: Fife High School, 5616 20th St. E., Tacoma; Sumner, Fife and Dieringer school districts.

Dec. 12: Wilson High School, 1202 N. Orchard St., Tacoma; Tacoma School District.