No, not the virus — the vaccine. My clinic received our shipment of vaccine for staff members, and I was first in line…of a very short line. Yes, many of my staff chose not to take the vaccine, as well as my wife and a majority of Chinese people polled. It’s humbling that I can’t even convince some of my closest colleagues and family! But it’s now 24 hours post-vaccine and I’m not dead yet, and my shoulder isn’t even aching. As worldwide public health agencies have said all along, the H1N1 vaccine’s side effects should be the same as the seasonal flu — and the data coming in from the tens of millions of H1N1 vaccine already given is indeed proving this.

Good News!

Thanks, BJU, for offering a couple thousand H1N1 vaccines in your free clinic these next couple weeks. Hopefully, other supplies will start rolling in for those who want it. Most schools, including expat schools, are already finishing their vaccination programs.

Also, anecdotally speaking, all clinics definitely are seeing a lot of flu cases these last few weeks, but the great news is that the vast majority are easily managed at home with some TLC and home remedies. If you’ve been sick the last couple weeks with flu-like symptoms, there’s a good chance that it was H1N1. The local hospitals aren’t even checking most patients anymore for H1N1 — since 90% of the time, it is, and they just get sent home anyway and told to do the usual cold/flu care and stay home until better. I think people should be encouraged by that!

Updates…

Here’s a nice video from the CDC regarding H1N1 vaccine and pregnant women: Commentary: 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine in Pregnancy .