Tulsa World: Flu kills 7 more Sooners

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

Home > News > Article

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Flu kills 7 more Sooners
People descend in droves on a local H1N1 vaccine site

Corbin Smith of Tulsa stands in a crowd lining up for swine flu vaccinations at the Church at Battle Creek in Broken Arrow on Thursday. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER and JARREL WADE World Staff Writers
Published: 11/13/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 11/13/2009 3:36 AM

Get more information on the swine flu, including prevention tips and frequently asked questions.

Seven more Oklahomans died last week due to complications from the H1N1 virus, bringing the total number of swine flu deaths in the state to 28, a state health report said Thursday.

Three of those who died last week were Tulsa County residents.

A Kay County man who died before the state began keeping track of swine-flu deaths is not included in the official tally of 27.

Among those who died last week were two children, two adults ages 25 to 49, and three people older than 65, the report said. In addition to the Tulsa County deaths, there were two in Oklahoma County, and one each in Garfield and Kay counties, it said.

Amid the cases of H1N1, 2,235 people were vaccinated at the Church at Battle Creek in Broken Arrow on Thursday. Vaccinations were opened up to several new demographics this week, including 19- to 24-year-olds, said Melanie Christian, public information officer for Tulsa City-County Health Department.

Keeley Smith, 19, drove from Norman on Thursday and waited in the line that stretched several football fields in length.

"I go to school in Norman, and they aren't giving them out there," Smith said.

Smith waited in line with her brother, 22-year-old Corbin Smith; as well as her friends, Spencer Elias, 11, and his mother, Heather Elias, who has diabetes and said she wanted the whole family to be safe from the flu.

Corbin Smith was getting the shot because he's worried about his father's health, he said.

Blake Burns, 21, was also in line this week because of a family member and because this is the earliest his demographic has been allowed. He arrived two hours early to make sure he received a vaccination.

Burns was accompanied by his father, Karl Burns, and 17-year-old sister, Laura Burns, who were all concerned about getting the flu and passing it to their brother, who has taken immunity suppressants since having a heart transplant as a child.

"I thought that it would be best to get it — to not expose him" to the flu, Blake Burns said.

The vaccine also is now open to caregivers of infants younger than 6 months old.

Some 70 people were hospitalized last week, down from the previous week's 128, the report said. Total hospitalizations due to the virus are 869 since Sept. 1, the report said. Fifty-six percent of total hospitalizations were patients younger than 19, and 6 percent were pregnant women, it said.

The number of people admitted to the intensive care unit grew to 118 people, including 37 children, the report said.

Seventeen of the deaths have been people who had underlying medical conditions. Of those, 11 people who died had asthma or other respiratory conditions, two had diabetes, two were obese and two had an immune-compromising condition. Some people had more than one condition, the report said.

The swine flu remains the predominant flu in Oklahoma, although there have been a few reported cases of influenza B, the report states.

Symptoms of the swine flu are similar to those of seasonal flu, including cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, fever and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Not everyone will have a fever, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Free area H1N1 vaccination clinics:

2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Expo Square Exchange Center, 21st Street between Harvard and Yale avenues. Enter on the west side of the building.

3 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at Tulsa Community College’s West Campus, 7505 W. 41st St.

9 a.m. to noon Dec. 12 at Oral Roberts University, 7777 S. Lewis Ave.

Pregnant women may get a free H1N1 vaccination on a walkin basis from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fridays at the following locations:

James O. Goodwin Health Center, 5051 S. 129th E. Ave.

Central Regional Health Center, 315 S. Utica Ave.

Expo Square Health Center, 4616 E. 15th Street

Pic-med of oklahoma, 2001 S. Garnett road, Suite F., has scheduled an H1N1 vaccination clinic from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There is a $13.50 administrative fee per immunization.

The clinic doesn’t have vaccine available for children ages 6 months to 23 months of age. The majority of the clinic’s supply is in the form of the nasal spray, FluMist, which is recommended only for healthy people from 2 to 49 years of age.

Source: Tulsa City-County Health Department

Tulsa flu shot basics

The Tulsa City-County Health Department anticipates a large enough supply of H1N1 vaccine by the end of November to broaden the scope to those outside the high-risk groups.

Vaccinations are now limited to:

Those between 6 months and 24 years old

Pregnant women

All health care and emergency medical services personnel

Any person who lives with, or provides care for, infants younger than 6 months

Those 25-64 years old with chronic medical conditions

For more: Call the Tulsa City-County Health Department’s flu hot line at 595-4500 or 582-9355; call the Oklahoma State Department of Health hot line at (866) 278-7134; or go online to tulsaworld.com/okhealth.

Source: Tulsa City-County Health Department

Kim Archer 581-8315, Jarrel Wade 581-8408
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com, jarrel.wade@tulsaworld.com By KIM ARCHER and JARREL WADE World Staff Writers

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

62 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Some reader comments for this story were copied from "7 more Oklahomans die from H1N1 flu virus," which was published on 11/12/2009.

	Report Comment Petey, 918 (11/12/2009 11:24:58 AM) I'm confused... is the total 27 or is it 28?
	Report Comment oldrustytulsa, Tulsa (11/12/2009 11:39:45 AM) Oh, dont worry the democrat government says that they have ENOUGH VACINE for everyone.. not.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/12/2009 11:41:02 AM) Just hold on folks..... President Obama's Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has promised more vaccine in 60 to 90 days.... There shouldn't be over ten thousand or so die between now and than....
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (11/12/2009 11:45:23 AM) So much for older people (over 60 years of age) not getting the swine flu, supposedly due to the fact that they received some kind of shots in their childhood that protects them. Hmmmm..... I'm 61, but am skipping the shots for the time being. I'm taking precautions, but I don't feel like being a guinea pig. I'll see how the shots work out first on others.
	Report Comment okierose, Tulsa County (11/12/2009 11:49:17 AM) adults ages 25 to 49 and three people older than 65, health 5 of the 7 people who died are not in the group that can get the shot.
	Report Comment Ric, Broken Arrow (11/12/2009 11:52:31 AM) Is a person who is 46 and has asthma a case for H1N1?
	Report Comment getmeoutoftulsa, (11/12/2009 11:53:51 AM) its all overhyped and the general public is paranoid. more people die from other things with a higher percentage rate than h1n1. smoking, obesity, driving w/o seatbelts..etc etc.
	Report Comment PPilot, Tulsa (11/12/2009 11:58:46 AM) Oldrustytulsa, it might not have been an issue if the previous Republican 8 years might have made health insurance affordable to everyone.
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (11/12/2009 12:12:13 PM) I like the photo with the article, not the poor baby crying though as I always hate to see babies in pain, but his daddy being a good daddy holding his baby and daddy looks to be kissing his baby's head. A lot of dad's aren't around their children much, if at all. So, this is a great photo. :)
	Report Comment Saphyr, (11/12/2009 12:12:33 PM) I would like to know how many people have had it and then see the number of deaths. They are making it sound much worse than it is.
	Report Comment Zed, Tulsa (11/12/2009 12:13:14 PM) Is a person who is 46 and has asthma a case for H1N1? I would think so. My wife has asthma --- however, she's allergic to eggs (the vaccine has eggs, or so I've read) ..... and will not chance it.
	Report Comment Ric, Broken Arrow (11/12/2009 12:32:39 PM) Mar, Yes, you can tell he's a nice caring Father.
	Report Comment Bixby1, Broken Arrow (11/12/2009 1:14:42 PM) PPilot said "it might not have been an issue if the previous Republican 8 years might have made health insurance affordable to everyone." Are you serious? Do you really think the Bush administration is to blame for the H1N1 problem? If that's the case, they must also be responsible for the Sooners' terrible season, and Sam Bradford's injury. Give me a break.
	Report Comment ranay22, Ponca City (11/12/2009 1:34:28 PM) that baby looks like he wants to bust someone in the chops! but hey it will do him some good to get vaccinated.
	Report Comment jkd301, (11/12/2009 1:51:50 PM) Since the "Govt" doesn't put the 30 - 50 age group on the list to get the shot it isn't surprising to see this trend. I wonder how old the people are that decide who gets the shot? Last week young people needed it based on statistics, this week older, why don't they just get off their butts and make enough to cover all.
	Report Comment Panza, (11/12/2009 2:12:14 PM) Folks, go to the CDC web site to have all your questions answered. PPilot, they are giving immunizations all over town for virtually nothing. As far as health care, that really doesn't have anything to do with the deaths. Quit playing politics. Saphyre and getmeoutoftulsa, let's allow someone you care about to die. As of 9-1-09, there were 678 reported cases with 17 deaths. That's about 1 out of 40...wouldn't you hate to be that "1"?
	Report Comment Bullhead, - (11/12/2009 2:12:15 PM) But Mar, why is it when we're getting something done to us, dad or mom is holding us down and kissing our heads in order for it to happen? Kidding. He looks like a great dad.
	Report Comment you'rekidding, Tulsa (11/12/2009 2:29:54 PM) Zed, all flu vaccines are made from eggs. If she has had the regular kind she will be okay. The protein from it is next to nothing. I can't imagine having no eggs. It would limit cake selections big times.
	Report Comment SS_Hippy, Tulsa (11/12/2009 2:59:59 PM) luv them crying babies getting the flu shot pics!
	Report Comment cowetaresident, (11/12/2009 4:01:44 PM) Mar, Okierose: Most of the people that die from H1N1 die from infection and other occuring health conditions (ie pneumonia,auto-immune disorders, COPD, CHF, etc) that make them pre-disposed to almost every disorder due to an already weakened immune system. Again, thousands of elderly and young children die every year of the normal flu.
	Report Comment poppy, (11/12/2009 4:02:00 PM) Just think- how much better it would get, if the govt was running ALL of health care....this alone should be argument enough for anybody- the "free handout insanity" in DC has to stop!!! Our govt is inefficient & unreliable- the less they are in charge of, the better for all of us!
	Report Comment you'rekidding, Tulsa (11/12/2009 4:14:04 PM) You have no idea what it takes to make vaccines. I've explained it on here once before but it takes too long, read my previous comments if you want. Zoltar, your really stretching trying to make jokes about my picture. Invest your energy into reading a book or two.
	Report Comment TulKaiwan, Broken Arrow (11/12/2009 4:38:34 PM) I don't plan to get the vaccine. But I found this interesting tid-bit on from the Tulsa City-County Health Dept.: 88,000: Tulsa County’s projected allotment of doses. High-risk groups that will get the vaccine first: 4,500: Pregnant women in Tulsa County 12,500: People working directly with infants younger than 6 months 17,000: Health-care and emergency- care workers 203,000: Children and young adults aged 6 months to 2 years old. So they project 237,000 people to be "high-risk" and receive only 88,000 doses.
	Report Comment therealaxeman, (11/12/2009 5:08:31 PM) If you do the overall math you will find that this virus has a 1 in 5500 chance of dying... not 1 in 40. Zoltar - that's funny stuff... and true!
	Report Comment 007, London........................... (11/12/2009 5:41:23 PM) YEAH, and the neocons still jump on the President for declaring this a national emergency!

25 of 62 comments displayed. | View All

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.