As 2009 wound down, so did cases of H1N1 nationally, as access to flu vaccine rose. In Arlington, an evening that began with a traffic jam in and around the lot at the closed Brigham's restaurant turned into a successful evening for thousands of town residents who received shots for swine and seasonal flu.

"Having vaccinated over 2,200 residents in three hours is quite an amazing effort that could not have been possible without the team of volunteers and town personnel that came together," wrote Christine Connolly Sharkey, the town health director, in an e-mail the day after the Dec. 30 clinic at Arlington High School.

"Arlington is fortunate to have such a generous group of volunteers that give back so much to the community."

More than 85 volunteers involved came from the Arlington Medical Reserve Corps, Armstrong Ambulance, Organizing for Arlington, Arlington Emergency Management as well as town personnel from the Health Department, school nursing department, police, fire, and public works.

Participating doctors and nurses had available to them 4,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine and 700 doses of vaccine for seasonal flu.

Asked how many were served in the Red Gym, the results were still being counted Dec. 31. She estimated the total at from 2,200 to 2,500 people.

The town Web site reported Jan. 3 that the department vaccinated 1,878 Arlington residents against H1N1 flu and 469 residents against seasonal flu.

The three-hour clinic was a magnet for residents. Just before the start, at 5 p.m., the large lot of Brigham's was clogged as two Arlington police officers controlled traffic at the alley beside 22 Mill St. and at the entrance to the lot behind AHS.

Just two hours later, though, the jam had subsided. Outside the Red Gym, floodlights lit the way. Inside, in the corridors near the gym, volunteers directed residents with dispatch. Separate lines accommodated those with paperwork filled out and those who had not. There were lines for those getting H1N1 or seasonal shots -- or both. Attempts were made to keep families together.

Green-shirted volunteers kept lines moving. Those waiting used the time in line to talk with people they knew but had not seen in a while. A number commented, with enthusiasm, about how organized the effort was.

The Dec. 30 clinic appeared to benefit from the Oct. 8 clinic, which was run as an emergency planning exercise. As part of the practice, the department sets up to put thousands of people through the clinic per hour.

The Oct. 8 clinic had a different result. It began handling residents 15 minutes before the 4 p.m. start time and had to stop administering injections by 4:45 p.m. In that hour, about 500 people received shots for the ordinary flu.

By vaccinating nearly 1,000 people in three hours, Sharkey wrote at the time, the Arlington Health Department was able to determine how to improve plans for efficiency for upcoming clinics.

Additional clinics are being considered. The department will continue to post clinic information, including neighboring communities, on the flu clinic hotline 781-316-3413 and the Town Web site at arlingtonma.gov/health.

This story was first reported Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, and updated Mobday, Jan. 3, 2010.