Hundreds line up for H1N1 vaccine

TROTWOOD, Ohio (WDTN) - Crowds lined up in Trotwood Monday for their first chance to get the H1N1 vaccination.

Hundreds of people filed through Hara Arena, but with 22 stations set up to give the H1N1 vaccine, officials said they are moving people out just as quickly as they're coming in.

"So far the response has been very good, so we hope it stays this way throughout the afternoon and early evening," said Jim Gross, Commissioner, Public Health Dayton-Montgomery County.

It's the first time the vaccination has been opened up to the general public, and many have been waiting for months for their chance.

Health officials had been watching the number of people in the at-risk groups who showed up at the clinics decline in the past few weeks.

"As we saw the decline in the target population, if we want to vaccinate more people in Montgomery County, we knew the only way to do that was to open it up to the general population," Gross said.

Gross said they're paying close attention to the numbers at this clinic, and they'll use that information to decide if another public clinic would be beneficial.

The health department had 5,000 doses on hand for the public clinic.