The Delaware General Health District clinic is only for persons at high risk for H1N1 flu: pregnant women, children ages 6 months to 18 years, people who live with or care for infants under 6 months old, and health care providers with direct contact with patients, said health district spokesman Jesse Carter.

The vaccine was administered to first-responders throughout the county last week, both fire and medical, said Delaware County Emergency Medical Services director Rob Farmer.

The Oct. 26 clinic is scheduled from 3-8 p.m. at Buckeye Valley High School, 901 Coover Road.

The vaccine is free and will be administered in two ways: Flu Mist, which can be given to healthy children ages 2-18, and injectable vaccine containing the preservative Thimerosal. Injectable H1N1 vaccine without Thimerosal will not be available at Monday's clinic, Carter said.

The health district has about 2,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine in stock, Carter said. Those who want the vaccine are encouraged to pre-register online via the link on www.delawarehealth.org and bring their pre-registration form to the clinic.

The health district has gone through its supply of seasonal flu vaccine and canceled the remaining clinics, Carter said.

Additional vaccine may be available later, but probably not before January, he said.

As of Oct. 16, Delaware County had 11 confirmed H1N1 cases, Carter said. Schools and employers continue to report higher-than-normal absenteeism for this time of year.

Last week the Delaware County commissioners took action to make it easier for employees to stay home if they come down with the flu -- both the common flu and the H1N1 virus --this winter.

At the Oct. 19 meeting the commissioners changed the county's sick leave policy, waiving the requirement that employees absent three or more days must bring a doctor's note with them when they return to work.

The policy applies to employees who are ill and also to employees who must stay home to care for a family member who contracts the flu.

The county could still require a note in some instances, such as when an employee has depleted his or her sick leave, said administrative services director Lisa Iannotta, but the majority will not need a note.

"Studies have shown this is a very virulent flu ... that can pass through the population quickly," said commission vice president Ken O'Brien.

"The whole idea is we don't want to promulgate this disease and keep it running through the community," said commission president Tommy Thompson.

"If an employee is ill, we want them to stay home and rest, not run to the doctor's just to get a note."

County employees accumulate sick leave from their first day on the job, Iannotta said.

A new employee who does not bring to the job accumulated sick leave from another public employer gets 4.6 hours of sick leave for every 80 hours worked.

That leave is cumulative and any unused hours carry forward from year to year.

If an employee exhausts all accumulated sick leave, he or she can use vacation or compensatory time, she said.

If all of that time is exhausted, the policy allows the county administrator to grant up to 80 hours of unpaid leave.

County administrator Dave Cannon said department heads have been working on contingency plans to maintain county services in case a pandemic causes widespread employee absences.

A state statute would come into play if two of the three commissioners are ill and can't make a meeting.

Under the state law, the coroner would step in and become a voting member of the commission, O'Brien said.

Requirements for a doctor's note are covered in union contracts and non-union pay plans for the city of Delaware, said city spokesman Lee Yoakum.

The range is for absences of three to five days.

There are no plans right now to bring any proposed changes to those rules to council, he said, but the staff is working on several things related to the flu.

The city's department of administrative services "hopes to have a draft emergency pandemic response plan for all city departments that could be implemented by the city manager if the situations warrants.

"In such an emergency, the city manager could reconsider the doctor's note requirement," he said.

"In addition, DAS will be working on putting together some training about reducing the spread of germs," Yoakum said. "Our emphasis is on prevention."