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For Temecula resident Jerry Moe, 77, the extensive coverage urging him to get the H1N1 vaccination, and his inability to do so, has led to frustration.
“I think the government is at fault for putting that out there so much and not having the supplies to back it up,” Moe said. “They should get to work on getting it available in more places. I’ve called the county and even they don’t know where it is going to be.”
Moe, who has already received the seasonal flu shot, is concerned not only for himself but also for his great-grandchildren who are considered a priority group.
“I have three great-grandkids that can’t find a place locally to take the vaccine. I encourage my granddaughter to keep calling and looking,” he said.
In the meantime, Moe said he has generally avoided crowded places like the movies. The only exception, he said, is Pechanga Casino near Temecula.
Mixed media messages, a vaccination recall and shortages have left residents perplexed as to how to respond to the H1N1 epidemic.
With April headlines reading, “U.S. ‘very concerned’ about swine flu outbreak,” and May headlines reading, “Swine Flu no worse than regular flu,” it’s no wonder there is confusion.
Amid economic pressure, one thing is certain: local businesses are doing everything they can to calm customers’ H1N1 fears.
According to Pechanga’s Director of Public Affairs Jacob Mejia, the casino has “taken the H1N1 threat very seriously since the news about the pandemic first came out.”
Hand-sanitizer was placed in both public and back of house areas. Informational displays about preventing the spread of germs and H1N1 were also posted for employees. Recently the casino also arranged for team members, as well as dependents on their health insurance plan, to receive the H1N1 vaccine free of charge.
Mejia said three full-time nurses employed by the casino have also been “very helpful” in providing H1N1 education to employees.
“Like most businesses, we heard questions about H1N1 from patrons when the pandemic first broke in late April. Since then we have not seen a decline in business volumes attributable to H1N1,” Mejia said.
Pala Casino Public Relations Manager Jack Taylor said in an email that “H1N1 has not had an effect on Pala Casino Spa & Resort” located just south of Temecula in San Diego County.
Without proper sanitation, another potential bastion of germs is the gym.
In addition to a three-times-a-day cleaning regimen, 24-Hour Fitness in Murrieta has increased sanitation with four sanitation stations located throughout the gym. The stations were installed six months ago with equipment cleaner. A hand sanitation component was added two months ago.
Around the same time, Murrieta’s 24 Hour Fitness dealt with a case of H1N1 in their daycare Kids’ Club. According to Manager Chris Van Der Hoeven, the club was not notified of the illness by the parent. The club found out about the incident after two to three other children became ill. The Kids’ Club was closed for a few days and the entire area was sanitized.
The incident, however, “slowed down some parents from coming in to work out for the two to three weeks after,” Van Der Hoeven said.
One sanitation station is now located directly outside of the Kids’ Club door.
“The sanitizers are empty ever other day and they are supposed to last a week,” Van Der Hoeven said. “I’m sure the company forking out a little more money in that has helped business.”
Though most grocery cart anti-bacterial wipes have been around since 2005, Louise Small, 63, has found them especially useful in recent months.
“It’s nice that businesses have made that available,” she said. “I have used them more since the outbreak.”
She also carries antibacterial wipes in her car. Small does not, however, plan on getting the H1N1 vaccine due to the recent recall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website explains that the “non-safety-related voluntary recall” includes 800,000 preservative-free pediatric vaccines distributed throughout the U.S. The Sanofi Pasteur vaccines were found to be less potent than the “specified range” during follow-up testing.
On Dec. 22 a second recall was announced for MedImmune nasal sprays citing similar potency reasons. There are 4.7 million doses affected in the recall.
While recipients of the vaccine were not harmed, the word “recall” has surely conjured up fear for some.
Fifty-two-year-old Susan Cooper has never had a flu shot.
“Now I am afraid to. They can’t make up their minds,” she said.
Phyllis Mleczko, 68, an annual recipient of the seasonal flu vaccine decided against the H1N1 vaccine.
“To me it hasn’t been tested yet,” she said. “I know they say it is safe but I am just too skeptical.”
For 28-year-old Maria Vasquez and her family, they decided the vaccination was worthwhile.
“My spouse, myself and my four-year-old son were all vaccinated a week ago. I had been sick and I didn’t want to get the flu,” she said.
Since the outbreak, Vasquez has also used the anti-bacterial wipes provided in the grocery store and avoids going to the movies.
Fifty-two-year-old Vince Barone said his wife talked him into getting an H1N1 vaccine this year.
Barone, who works at the Ralphs distribution center in Moreno Valley, said “I wash my hands more often now.” He also uses the sanitizers at work that were installed after the outbreak.
Joana Johnson, 40, is four months pregnant and all six people in her family have been vaccinated. Though pregnancy places Johnson in a priority group, she said that was “not a factor” in her decision to get the vaccine.
Temecula resident Karen Connerton, 67, is facing a lung transplant. On the recommendation of her doctor, she received an H1N1 shot three weeks ago, as did her husband, but was frustrated they “had to go to [the city of] Riverside to get it.”
As of Dec. 18, California has received the largest shipment of H1N1 vaccine doses, totaling nearly 10.5 million. Texas follows with 6.4 million doses and Florida with 4.5 million.
According to a Dec. 16 press release by the Riverside County Department of Public Health, all Riverside residents “can walk into 10 county family care centers without an appointment and get the H1N1 flu vaccine” beginning Dec. 21.
Centers are located Corona, Banning, Jurupa, Perris, Indio, Palm Springs, Rubidoux, Lake Elsinore, Hemet and Riverside. This contrasts previous months where vaccine shortages led to cancelations of multiple flu clinics.
Hundreds lined up for the first public clinic in Southwest Riverside County to offer H1N1 vaccines. It was held at Ortega High School in Lake Elsinore on Dec. 9 for priority groups.
“Officials are confident” they will continue receiving shipments and can expand the vaccine from priority groups like pregnant women, children, medical workers and adults with chronic medical conditions, to all residents.
Nearby Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties have all followed suit with expanded distribution. New supplies couldn’t come at a better time. Recent data released by the CDC suggest one in six Americans has already contracted H1N1.
The virus, also commonly known as Swine Flu for its genes resembling a virus normally found in pigs, was first confirmed on U.S. soil in April. Since then, the virus has claimed 30 lives in Riverside County and 417 in California. CDC epidemiologists estimate the nationwide death toll to be 10,000.
The CDC’s Flu Vaccine Locator, partnered with Google Maps, makes finding a vaccine quite simple. Search results indicate which locations are stocked with H1N1 vaccines, seasonal flu vaccines, or both.
Below is a list of other local businesses and precautions they have taken to ward off H1N1.
Ryan Digregorio, manager of the Fantastic Sams located on Rancho California Rd. in Temecula, had placed a sign in their window after the initial out break in April. It read, “Due to the high frequency of family and guests, if you have a fever, please refrain from getting a hair cut at this time.” The sign was taken down in summer “after it started getting better,” she said.
The Fantastic Sams on Mission Trail Rd. in Lake Elsinore did not put up a sign but did buy hand sanitizer and has “heard a lot of stores about kids on soccer teams getting sick,” Manager Megan Hernandez said. A memo was also sent to employees advising them to “to just stay home” if they were sick.
Tina Decosta, manager of Lake Elsinore’s Diamond Cinemas said, “Business has been the same,” but they did put in hand sanitizer six months ago.
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