Pregnant Women Can Get Free H1N1 Shots

The Allegheny County Health Department will hold its first free H1N1 influenza vaccination clinic Saturday at its office at 3441 Forbes Avenue. The clinic from 9am to 3 pm is for pregnant women only. ACHD Spokesperson Guillermo Cole says the county has a limited number of vaccinations so it needs to make sure it gets into the right population. He says pregnant women are among the most at risk of being hospitalized due to complications from flu in general and especially from H1N1. Pregnant women are four times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting H1N1 than the general population. Free parking will be available in the lot behind the Health Department building at 3333 Forbes Avenue. No appointment is necessary but the county only has 3,000 doses. Cole says it is unclear when the department will get another shipment but as more H1N1 vaccine becomes available, the Department plans to schedule additional clinics and offer vaccinations to other members of the community. Women planning to get the shot are asked to download the vaccination consent form and have it filled out before coming to the clinic.