We did it! Rhode Islanders led the nation in the percentage of residents who received the H1N1 flu vaccine. Approximately 38.8% of Rhode Islanders got vaccinated against H1N1 flu, versus the national average of 23.9%. Rhode Island also led the nation by vaccinating 84.7% of kids 6 months through 17 years of age, versus the national average of 36.8%. These are numbers that make us proud!
The H1N1 flu vaccination campaign in Rhode Island was a team effort. We would not have been able to protect so many people against H1N1 flu without the hard work of volunteer agencies, schools and school nurse teachers, healthcare providers, hospitals, minority health centers, colleges, local emergency management agencies, and the media.
If you took the time to get vaccinated against H1N1 flu, thank you. If you encouraged your family, friends, or loved ones to receive their vaccines, thank you. If you volunteered at an H1N1 vaccination clinic, thank you. Thank you to all the parents who returned their children’s consent forms so that they could be vaccinated in school-based H1N1 clinics: a hugely successful model for vaccination that we hope to repeat in coming years. Thank you to all of the healthcare workers and first responders who worked hard to get the H1N1 flu vaccine to their patients and who protected them by getting vaccinated. Thank you to the cities and towns throughout Rhode Island that held free public H1N1 clinics for their residents. And thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about the importance of vaccination.
Many healthcare providers still have the H1N1 flu vaccine, so if you have not yet been vaccinated, it is not too late. See our website or call 401-222-5960 for more information.
Governor Donald L. Carcieri and
Director of Health David R. Gifford, MD, MPH
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