Shasta County health officials say enough swine flu vaccine has arrived in the county that it can now be offered to all residents.
Up to now, vaccines against the H1N1 virus have been limited to populations most at risk. Swine flu usually isn’t life-threatening, but it can be deadly for people who already are in fragile health. One person has died from it so far in Shasta County.
To get the vaccine, contact your health care provider or visit one of the two FREE public clinics coming up later in the month. The clinics will be 4-7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Mt. Shasta Mall, and 3-7 p.m. Dec. 29 at the John Beaudet Senior Center in Shasta Lake. Frail elderly and those with chronic diseases can call their nearest county Public Health office and make an appointment.
Federal officials estimate that 10,000 Americans have died from swine flu since April. For more on the national situation, click here.
- The merchants along Hilltop Drive are so proud of the new streetscape that they’re following up today’s ribbon-cutting with a week of holiday festivities, including horse-drawn hayrides and photos with Santa Claus. The events begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Best Western Hilltop Inn. A different Hilltop business will host the festivities each day next week. The grand finale — a scavenger hunt in the Gottschalks parking lot — begins at 2 p.m. Dec. 19.
- Sports: Apparently, the Pittsburgh Steelers have devoted their season to making bad teams like Oakland and Cleveland feel better about themselves.
- The Shasta Regional Community Foundation board has approved $246,900 in new grants to 24 organizations in four Northern California counties. Since its founding in 2000, the foundation has given out more than $7.4 million. For more info, click here.
- Anti-Social Networking: A semi-Alert Reader (Philbert) sends this link to an article about a new website set up to combat the obsessive friendliness of Facebook. The website gives social networkers a place where they can perform the ritual suicide of their Facebook identity.
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