The Texas Department of State Health Services announced the state is getting about 40 percent less H1N1 vaccine than expected in the first week's allotment from the federal government. The state health department said Texas had expected to receive 237,000 vaccines in the first allocation, but only got 142,400.
All of those vaccines are in the form of FluMist, a nasal spray. The state health department said most of that first allotment will go to doctors, clinics and other providers to vaccinate healthy 2- and 3-year-olds, who are part of a priority group.
Bell County Public Health District hasn't received any of the vaccine.
"We are waiting patiently," said DonnaLee Pollack, nurse epidemiologist with the Bell County Public Health District.
"We've been told to initially expect a very small supply," Pollack said. "I would expect it would go to pediatricians first."
The health district is waiting to set up its flu clinics until it has a better idea of when the vaccine will be available.
"By the first week in November more vaccine should be released," Pollack said.
FluMist is only for healthy people ages 2 to 49, excluding pregnant women, so many high-risk residents must wait for the shot version. The priority groups for the H1N1 flu vaccine are: pregnant women; people caring for infants under 6 months old; health care workers; all people ages 6 months through 24 years old; and people 25 to 64 with health conditions that put them at high risk of flu complications.
About 10,600 doses from the first allotment are going to local public health departments and some state health department regional sites. But the state agency says that won't be enough doses for public vaccination clinics, so local health departments will have to figure out how to best use that limited first supply.
The state health department says that first allotment is expected to arrive during the next two weeks.
State health officials urged patience, saying they expect the weekly availability of the vaccine to be low for the first few weeks. They said they expect the shipment volume to increase later in the month.
By the end of January, the state expects to receive 15 million doses of the vaccine.
State health department spokesman Doug McBride said that 52 people have died with H1N1 flu in Texas so far, including 11 people under 18. He said it's estimated that about 2,880 people with the seasonal flu die each year. In each of the past three flu seasons, about 10 people under 18 have died with seasonal flu.
Staff and wire reports
