H1N1 Vaccine Shipments Coming In, But Slowly

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Topics: Politics, Health
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A limited number of doses are being offered by various county agencies and clinics to priority populations.

Vaccines against the H1N1 swine flu virus are slowly coming into communities. 

The state health department has ordered 1.4 million doses since the vaccine became available in early October.  The department’s Kristpher Weiss says the most recent order of 435 thousand doses is just now being distributed to counties based on population size.

Weiss:  “The last several weeks we’ve been ordering exclusively for local health departments and hospitals because the supply has been limited, and we hope to be able to expand that as more vaccine becomes available and as providers are able to reach the high risk patients that they serve.”

Those high risk groups include women, children and young adults 6 months through 24 years old, and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age.  Also health care professionals and chronically ill adults.

Cuyahoga County is offering 5000 doses in each of three locations this weekend.  Most counties have vaccine information available on their web sites or through swine flu hotlines.