A push began Monday in Nova Scotia to get the H1N1 vaccine into the arms of a challenging age group — high school and university students who are not in the habit of getting flu shots.

The strategy is to take the shot to the students, and Capital Health opened clinics at two Halifax-area high schools and at universities.

At the Dalhousie University clinic, 3,000 doses were available for students, faculty and staff Monday, but just over 1,500 people turned out to get vaccinated even though some university students have already learned a tough lesson about swine flu.

"It was a huge damper on my studies," Maggie Lovett said. "I had to take like a week off school, so anything I can do to prevent that from happening again, I'll do it."

Others are willing to take their chances with the flu. Frank Portman said he doesn't plan to be vaccinated.

"Well, I just think from what I've heard there are still a lot of question marks about its effectiveness and some of the side-effects," he said.

Still serious threat

Dan Thorn also isn't convinced he should get a shot. "It's probably not that big a deal, and I think I could fight it off if I got it anyway," he said.

But Nova Scotia's top public health doctors say swine flu is still a serious threat.

"People moving into their 20s, we haven't seen as much disease. But, again, we've certainly had severe disease in those age groups and people have died in those age groups," Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Monday.

The first high school clinic at Sackville High targeted a younger, even harder-to-reach age group — teenagers aged 15 to 18. Students were excused from class to get the shot.

"Some people are worried about side-effects, but I'd rather take my chances and do it," Todd Stewart said..

Capital Health vaccinated more than 350 students and hopes to move into even more high schools in the coming weeks.

"We've managed to vaccinate over 50 per cent of the students at school today, so that's better than the turnout at our community clinics," said Dr. Gaynor Watson Creed, medical officer of health with Capital Health.

The next high school clinic opens Tuesday at Citadel High in Halifax.

There are now three people in hospital with swine flu in the Halifax area, two of them in the intensive-care unit.