“Good boy’’ said his mother, Tracey, patting his back as her other two children watched in amazement.
But try as he might, Kyle could not hold back the tears.
“It didn’t hurt at first,’’ explained the 8-year-old. “Usually [the needle] stays in four seconds, but I counted it and it was two seconds. But it didn’t hurt that much.’’
Inside the gymnasium at Hyde Park High School, there were squeals, tears, brave faces, and shirt sleeves rolled up as hundreds came out to get the H1N1 vaccine.
Boston public health officials had hoped to inoculate 5,000 residents in Hyde Park yesterday against H1N1 - and another 5,000 today in West Roxbury - as part of a community vaccination drive that targets people most at risk for getting swine flu. The H1N1 vaccine is only being offered to those at greatest risk of complications and viral illness - people age 3 to 24, and adults 25 through 64 who suffer from asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Regular seasonal flu shots were not offered this weekend.
By 3 p.m. yesterday, 715 people in Hyde Park had gotten their shots or nasal spray.
Ann Scales, spokeswoman for the Boston Public Health Commission, said the turnout was lower than expected because fewer reported cases of flulike illnesses have been reported recently and because many city residents are already vaccinated.
“That has suppressed interest in the vaccine,’’ she said.
Panic about the swine flu is waning as many people with symptoms are opting to stay home and ride out the illness rather than going to their doctor, she said.
For the past two months public health officials have been teaming with the city’s community health centers to hold free H1N1 flu clinics, and more than 12,000 Boston residents have received shots or nasal sprays to fight swine flu, said Barbara Ferrer, the health commission’s executive director.
Public health officials decided to hold the massive flu clinics in Hyde Park and West Roxbury because neither have health centers.
“These residents want easy access to public clinics,’’ said Ferrer. “Many people can go to see their health care providers . . . but in every neighborhood we’ve promised public clinics.’’
Since April, 1,867 confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in Massachusetts, and 25 people have died from it, according to the latest flu report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health last week.
For about five hours yesterday, a steady stream of Boston residents lined up, filled out health-related questionnaires, and got shots or nasal spray.
To keep the lines moving, more than 150 health workers in blue and green vests answered questions in multiple languages and steered residents in the right direction. They also posted reminders and updates, along with photographs, on Twitter.
The weekend flu clinics come two days after the state released a report that showed swine flu is loosening its grip on Massachusetts patients. According to the report from the Department of Public Health, the number of patients complaining of flu-like symptoms has fallen to its lowest level in a month.
Last week, influenza accounted for 3.55 percent of visits to a representative sampling of Massachusetts physicians. In early November, nearly 10 percent of the visits were attributed to the flu, the Globe recently reported.
