They were waiting patiently in line for hours to get the H1N1 influenza vaccine.

Hundreds of Chilliwack residents who fit the high-risk category requirements were rolling up their sleeves for public health nurses at Evergreen Hall yesterday.

Pam Biero arrived at the hall bright and early at 7:30 a.m. because it was the first H1N1 flu vaccine clinic in Chilliwack that she had heard of.

“I tried to call my doctor’s office last week and couldn’t get through,” she said.

As an asthmatic, she opted to get the H1N1, the seasonal flu vaccine, and a pneumococcal booster shot.

Those people who qualified were also offered the seasonal flu vaccine and anti-pneumonia shot as well.

“I know someone who got very sick with H1N1 already, so I wanted to get the shots,” she said.

Abby and Harley Hooseman were soothing their two young children who were vaccinated because of being immune-compromised and without the ability to fight infections.

“We talked about it, and decided to get them vaccinated,” he said.

Their family doctor wasn’t sure when an in-office vaccine clinic could be scheduled so they decided not to wait, but to attend yesterday’s clinic.

“We felt the benefits strongly outweighed any problems,” she said, adding that it was an “easy” decision to make.

There were about 50 people in line ahead of the Hoosemans when they arrived at 7:30 a.m.

“Things seemed a little unorganized in other areas, but this clinic ran very smoothly,” she said. “The nurses were great. They were very well-informed.”

Carmen Schultz, who works with high-risk clients in a complex care setting, spent her day off getting in line for the flu jab. She wasn’t so sure about getting it initially.

“At first I felt the vaccine was new and untested,” she said. “But then I became more educated about it, and I realized how the risks versus the benefits work.”

Schultz said it reassured her to realize the H1N1 vaccine was fabricated using the same methods as the seasonal one — with “inactivated” virus components that help the body create antibodies.

But she was a little angry to hear about the flu shot queue-jumpers this week. She’d been phoning her family physician for two weeks about the H1N1 shot.

“He was doing the screening the way you’re supposed to,” she said. “But it almost felt like you had to be a prisoner or a hockey player to get the shot.”

jfeinberg@theprogress.com