Flu-like symptoms closed three Schoharie County Head Start centers last week, with officials worried about children’s health and high absenteeism among staff.
The closing of centers in Cobleskill, Schoharie and North Blenheim came even as the county Health Department was distributing vaccines and holding vaccination clinics.
Those clinics will target individuals at high risk to get H1N1––swine flu––such as young kids in Head Start.
Only the Sharon Springs Head Start Center remained open last week. The Schoharie and North Blenheim centers closed last Monday; Cobleskill closed Thursday.
“By Wednesday, every hour we were sending kids home, and we knew we had to do something more,” Executive Director Judy McLaughlin said of the Cobleskill center.
Though Ms. McLaughlin was worried about kids, the real problem was absent staff. Cobleskill was down from 25 to 10 or 12, Schoharie was down from 10 to one or two, and all the North Blenheim staff was out.
“We’ve had illnesses in the past where we’ve closed a day here and there, but nothing like this and not this early in the year,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “It hits really quickly.”
Clinically-diagnosed flu cases at the Emergency Room at Cobleskill Regional Hospital numbered in 20s the past two weekends but dropped to 11 this Saturday and Sunday.
Although H1N1 vaccines are slow in arriving, the Health Department has received enough to hold clinics, according to Director Katie Strack.
The department helped with clinics at SUNY Cobleskill last Monday and Wednesday and held a clinic for pregnant women––another high-risk group––at Planned Parenthood and the Health Department office in Schoharie on Friday.
Clinics were also set for EMS personnel this Monday and Thursday.
The Health Department is also sending doses to providers:
––200 to Bassett Healthcare in Cobleskill.
––50 to Bassett Healthcare in Sharon Springs.
––80 to Bassett Healthcare in Schoharie.
––100 to Bassett Healthcare in Middleburgh.
––140 to Drs. Chet Burton and Rebecca Eckel in Cobleskill.
––70 to Dr. Lorraine Davis in Central Bridge.
––60 to Dr. Jay Dewell in Cobleskill.
––50 to the Women’s Health Center.
“These providers are serving high-risk folks,” Ms. Strack said. “We’re delivering and sharing all the vaccines we can.”
She advised those at high risk to call providers to see about scheduling a vaccination.
As more doses come in, the Health Department will schedule larger clinics. Ms. Strack is planning clinics for November 16 or 17, November 23 and December 5.
Sites are still to be determined, though one site will not be the Power Authority in Blenheim, Ms. Strack said.
“We may look to them in the future,” she said.
Two weeks ago, Ms. Strack estimated that more doses would arrive in mid-November. That still appears to be the target, she said.
“We’ll get more, continue to order and continue sharing with providers that need it,” Ms. Strack said.
At the same time, the Health Department is continuing a public-information campaign as a preventative measure against the flu, she said.