SIOUX CITY -- Willie Thompson had to bear hug his 4-year-old daughter as she squirmed and wailed before getting an injection of the H1N1 flu vaccine Saturday morning at North Middle School.

Thompson, 29, went to the first public flu clinic in Woodbury County after his wife, Robin, called him from work urging him take their children, Hailey Sturgeon, 8, Mackenzie Sturgeon, 4, Kody Thompson, 7, and Kiley Thompson , 3 months, all of Sioux City.

"It was pretty good," Willie Thompson said. "I was most worried about Mackenzie, who cried a little, but she toughed through it."

Linda Drey, nursing director for the Siouxland District Health Department, said her agency had between 1,500 and 2,000 doses of the vaccine in nasal mist and injection form and it didn't matter where people came from.

"As long as they're in a priority group they can come from anywhere," Drey said. "It's a federal vaccine."

Almost 700 people came out to North Middle School and some were lined up as early as 6:30 a.m., but when the doors opened at 9 a.m. the longest wait was about an hour.

"There was some lines and wait (at the beginning of the clinic), but we couldn't have asked for a better day," she said. "We had six stations running and took two down at 11 a.m. because it was so quiet."

Meanwhile, Kelly Dalgliesh, 34, of Dakota Dunes, didn't mind waiting to vaccinate her son Cooper, 3, because it brought peace of mind.

"We've had some close encounters," Dalgliesh said. "It's hitting closer to home than we expected. I've known two people to die from H1N1."

Chuck Cipperley, deputy director for the Siouxland District Health Department, said he's waiting to announce the next public H1N1 flu vaccine clinic because the department wants to make sure they have enough doses of the vaccine.

Next Tuesday, the department will be at the River Valley School District in Correctionville, Iowa, to vaccinate more students.