It was a full house at Wesbild Centre Thursday, but instead of hockey action, the crowds were rolling up their sleeves to fight H1N1.

People showed up for the Interior Health Authority’s first vaccination clinic before 7 a.m., although it didn’t begin until 9 a.m. At one point, the line, which began at the elevator, stretched to the south end of the building and then continued up to the R section.

“It’s starting to get scary. It’s going around,” said Rick Ganzeveld, who was first in line and suffers from lupus.

“I have no immune system. I catch everything.”

Ganzeveld didn’t flinch as he was given one needle each for H1N1 and seasonal flu.

“I’m used to being a pincushion,” he said.

The clinic at Wesbild Centre, as well as one at the Schubert Centre, were for individuals considered to be in priority groups.

They are pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy, people under age 65 with chronic conditions, children between six months and five years old, family members and caregivers of infants less than six months of age or people immune compromised, people residing in rural areas and health care workers.

Barb Ryan and nine-year-old son Robbie, who is asthmatic, wore face masks as they waited for their turn.

“Our doctor asked us to wear them to protect my son as well as others,” said Ryan.

“There is a high level of concern for us. The (seasonal) flu has put him into the hospital twice.”

Processing so many people took time and that gave many time to visit, listen to music or drink a coffee. Eight-year-old Kody Kongsdorf and six-year-old brother Joel sprawled out on the concrete floor and read books.

“Every year one of them ends up in the emergency room with breathing problems if they get a cold or the flu,” said mom Lisa Kongsdorf, adding that the boys experience health issues because they were both born premature.

IHA officials weren’t surprised with the huge turnout Thursday.

“We’ve never had to do a pandemic vaccination before,” said Ena Pereboom, nurse flu co-ordinator.

“We are seeing more people ill from it so people want to be protected.”

To handle the demand, IHA has hired more nurses while resources have been deployed from other departments.

“We have reduced some services in order to provide this program,” said Pereboom.

Staff were ensuring that people being vaccinated Thursday met the priority categories.

“We are appealing to the public to self-select themselves and say, ‘I don’t meet the criteria,” said Pereboom.

Additional clinics will be scheduled in communities throughout the North Okanagan, and they will eventually be expanded to include the general population that doesn’t have chronic conditions.

Pereboom is urging everyone to consider the risk of H1N1 and to get vaccinated.

“Get all of the information and look at the disease and the vaccine,” she said.

“The vaccine is safe and effective and the best way to protect yourself and your family. Why would you want the flu?”

Details about the times, dates and locations of flu clinics are available at www.interiorhealth.ca and www.immunizebc.ca, or by calling HealthLink B.C. at 811. Information can also be obtained from the public health flu information line in Vernon at 250-549-6306.

H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines are also available from some physicians and walk-in clinics, and from some pharmacies in coming weeks.