Tulare residents Lupe and Jose Cortez were browsing at the Hanford Mall on Saturday, but when they saw the signs for the Kings County Public Health Department's free swine flu shots, they quit shopping and got in line. "It's scary. Our granddaughter has already gotten it," Lupe said.

Such fears, stoked by news reports about the number of cases locally and around the U.S, brought crowds of concerned parents hoping to get their kids -- and in some cases themselves -- a dose of the scarce vaccine.

Swine flu, or H1N1, has already killed about 4,000 people nationwide, nearly 600 of them children. And that's with the peak flu season yet to come.

Parents filled out forms as they stood in line, with volunteers in red vests offering help. Children clutched the adults' legs, some crying as they anticipated the shot.

It was Kings County's first public swine flu clinic, taking place simultaneously at the Mall, Corcoran High School and the Avenal Senior Center.

County officials are hoping the distribution will ward off a possible epidemic as the flu season goes into prime time.

So far, it's limited to kids under seven years of age, caregivers of very young infants, kids up to 18 with medical problems and pregnant women.

Crowds lined up for the clinic's 9 a.m. start, said Michael Mac Lean, Kings County's public health officer.

The numbers had tapered off by early afternoon, leaving plenty of vaccine left, some of it stored in Styrofoam coolers labeled "pregnant," "flu mist" and "pediatric."

Mary Johnson, an Armona mother, was there to make sure sons Donovan and Deandre got a dose. Both qualified because they are seven or younger.

Johnson said she works at a local hospital, but hasn't seen many swine flu cases there. Media reports made an impact on her.

"I don't want to take chances with my kids," she said.

Charleta Harvey wasn't taking any chances with her children either. The Navy wife and mother from Lemoore brought son, Michael, and daughter, Chailea.

"We're all high risk. We have severe asthma," she said. Harvey said her family has already been around a friend who had it, but they escaped infection. She said she's never taken her kids to get a flu shot before. This particular virus, however, got her attention.

"You never know if you are going to be one who gets off easy or not," she said.

Mac Lean said he'd love to vaccinate more people. But with scarce supplies -- and no certainty about when more will arrive-- he's holding off. Mac Lean said he'd like to expand the vaccination to groups like health care workers, young adults and middle-aged people with serious medical problems. Seniors don't seem to be sickening as fast as other groups, probably because they've been exposed to more flu viruses over their lifetimes, he said.

"We're going to get more vaccine. I just don't know when," he said.

Mac Lean said the virus is basically like any other flu viruses, except that this one is new.

More public H1N1 clinics are likely as more of the vaccine comes in, Mac Lean said. None have been scheduled yet. Dates will be well publicized, he said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Nov. 16, 2009)