Tristan Bledsoe said the shot just pinched a little.
Tristan, 9, and his sister, Lara, 6, got the second dose of the H1N1 vaccine Thursday at a clinic held at Kalmia Mall. They received their first dose at J.D. Lever Elementary School about a month ago.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that children younger than 10 receive two doses of the vaccine with the second dose administered at least 21 days after the first.
"I got it so I won't get sick," Tristan said.
"This is important so people don't keep spreading the germs," mom Tjuana Bledsoe said.
Though nurses at the clinic said the line of people waiting to get the vaccine was longer Thursday morning, only a few trickled in sporadically in the afternoon. Most were mothers with young children.
Around 2:30 p.m., the clinic announced that the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) had lifted the priority group limitations, meaning the general population can now receive the vaccine.
The sign outside the clinic listing those in the priority groups was removed.
However, the CDC still maintains that those who need the H1N1 vaccine the most are women who are pregnant, those who care for children younger than 6 months old, health care and emergency medical personnel, those age 6 months to 24 years old and people 25 to 64 who have chronic health conditions that put them at risk for medical complications.
Diane Martin brought her grandson, Parker Hampton, to get his second dose Thursday. Hampton had a stuffed toy, Nala from "The Lion King," to comfort him after he received the shot.
"This is really important. His mom works directly with H1N1 patients. Because she works with those people, she was afraid she'd bring it home," Martin said.
Nurses said Thursday that they had a little less than 200 doses of the vaccine on hand.
Both the injectable vaccine and the nasal spray were available.
The nasal spray contains a live virus and is not suitable for everyone, such as women who are pregnant. The injectable vaccine contains an inactive or dormant virus and is safer for a wider range of people.
Detailed information on how many doses the Aiken area has was not available at press time. Calls and e-mails seeking comment from Barbara Grice, director of health education and community services for Region 5 Public Health, were not returned.
This week, a company that makes the H1N1 vaccines issued a nonsafety-related voluntary recall of some pediatric doses for children between 6 months and 35 months.
Approximately 20,550 doses of the 800,000 vaccine doses recalled nationwide were sent to health care providers in the state, including DHEC.
According to the CDC, there is no need to re-administer doses to those who received vaccines from the recalled lots. Despite their slight reduction in strength, the recalled vaccines are expected to offer protection against the H1N1 flu virus.
Additional H1N1 clinics are scheduled for today at Kalmia Plaza, 1680 Richland Ave. W., from noon until 6 p.m. and Monday at the North Augusta Health Department, 802 E. Martintown Road, from noon until 7 p.m.
Call (800) 450-1687 or 642-7543 for an appointment.
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