Swine Flu cases on decline in Thurston County

Swine flu cases seemed to be in decline in Thurston County according to Sherri McDonald with the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department.

She told a Thursday meeting of the Lacey City Council that local schools normally have about a 10 percent absentee rate each day.  During September and October the absentee rate peaked at about 35 percent.   Since then it has leveled off at about 10 percent.

Some areas in Southern Thurston County are still feeling the effects of swine flu and have school absentee rates higher than normal.

McDonald said we could expect another spike in school absentee rates starting in January because that when the normal flu season begins in Western Washington and lasting into March.

McDonald said that Thurston County was getting its share of H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine.   “We make up 3.1 percent of the state’s population and we’ve received 3.1 percent of the state’s allocation,” McDonald told the Lacey City Council.

To date the county has received about 20,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine and the people most in need have received the vaccination.  Health care workers at both St. Peter Hospital and Group Health have all been inoculated.    Vaccine has been available at all three colleges because students under age 25 are most apt to get swine flu.

McDonald said that more vaccine was coming and would be distributed to local pharmacies when it arrived.

If you want to know locations for the H1N1 vaccine you can call 709-3080 for a recorded message.