Posted at: 10/31/2009 11:17 PM
By: Lorilyn Prestidge

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850 Vaccinated at Mower County Clinic

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Around eight hundred and fifty people took their place in line at Oak Park Mall today in Austin to get the H1N1 vaccine and they are among some of the first in Mower County to get vaccinated.

Five year old, Emma Kramer, can now say she's received the H1N1 vaccine, and it's a vaccine her grandmother has been waiting for.

"With some kids dying from it and stuff, it's better to be safe than sorry," said Grandmother Barb Miller.

And grandma's concerns haven't been the only ones.

"There's been reports of people coming down with it and being severely affected by it within his age group," said mother Patti Metzalf-Murray.

But some concerns were alleviated Saturday as eight hundred and fifty people got vaccinated.

"We received this shipment of vaccine on Thursday and we’re here today," said Austin Medical Center Vice President Carol Weis.

Austin Medical Center staff says they have around 3,100 doses of the H1N1 vaccine in the mist and injectable form now, but it is only designated for those who are in high-risk groups.

"Providing it to pregnant women, caregivers and parents of children under the age of six months and then children aged six months through eighteen years," said Weis.

The general public will still have to wait.

But even with tight requirements the medical staff says attendance at Saturday's clinic was what they expected.

"We started with a pretty good line earlier this morning but it's moved along quickly," said Weis.

The vaccine on the other hand, created a few issues with the young ones, but overall, once it was all said and done, they say it wasn't too bad.

"It felt a little weird, kind of tickled," said 11-year-old Jaze Murray.

"It was pretty fun," said Eight-year-old Morgan Henann.

And while this isn't the way Barb Miller expected to spend part of her Halloween, she says she's glad she came.

"Tonight will be the fun part, now she's done with this, I am not going to worry as much and we’re going to go out and have a great time," said Miller.

At this point, Austin Medical Center says there is a greater quantity of the mist form of the vaccine than the shot, but they do have both.

If you missed the clinic today and are eligible, there is another clinic tomorrow at Oak Park Mall from nine to five, and if supplies don't run out, they will extend it into Monday and Tuesday.