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Oct. 29H1N1 vaccine is trickling into the state slowly, drawing crowds at vaccination clinics as people line up for a shot at protection from the flu pandemic.
Tonight, a clinic at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton is designed for children ages 6 months to 18 years old and pregnant women, Hampton Health Department Director Dr. Bill Berg said.
"Cross your fingers and hope we get vaccine this week so we can open our public vaccination clinic next week," Berg said.
Health officials had hoped to have more doses available by now, but production is taking longer than anticipated. Manufacturers have found out the yield of antigens, which stimulate the production of antibodies that fight off disease, was lower than expected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That led to delays in sending out the vaccine.
The Peninsula Health District lined up after-school vaccination clinics early, so it was at the top of the list to receive the H1N1 vaccine when a smaller-than-expected supply was received, director David Trump said.
The district, which includes Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg and York and James City counties, administered about 8,500 doses at seven clinics last week and by appointment at its office.
Hampton wasn't included in the first shipment, but it also didn't have vaccination clinics planned for the first week the vaccine was made available. Last week it received 1,500 doses, followed by an additional 2,200 doses this week. That enabled the health department to go forward with two after-school clinics, Berg said.
Future clinics in both health districts hinge on when they receive more vaccine, the directors said.
The vaccine goes straight from the manufacturers to a nationwide distributor, McKesson Corporation, a San Francisco-based health care services company. McKesson delivers the vaccine throughout the U.S. to sites designated by state health departments.
As the vaccine becomes available, the Virginia Department of Health requests as much of it as possible, said Melodie Martin, public relations coordinator for the health department's office of H1N1. The state health department allocates the vaccine based on population.
The state's total allocation is supposed to be about 4.7 million doses, but it's received only about 400,000 so far, Martin said. Another 100,000 doses are on the way, she said.
The first batch went to hospitals and health departments to vaccinate emergency responders and health-care workers who have contact with patients.
After that, doses were sent to health departments and physicians' offices that care for those most at risk of complications, including pregnant women, children and those who have chronic conditions.
Eventually, the state anticipates it'll receive enough vaccine to send to retail pharmacies and other sites that have signed up across the state, Martin said.
Cases of flu-like illnesses have spiked in recent weeks. As H1N1 activity increases, the young under the age of 24 appear to be getting it the most. About 24 percent of visits by 5- to 24-year-olds to emergency departments and urgent care centers have been for flu-like illnesses, up from last year's peak of about 8 percent.
It's up to 21 percent in the newborn-to-age-4 category.
By comparison, visits by people 65 and older stand at less than 2 percent, according to Virginia Department of Health statistics.
Some school-based clinics are open to the public. Others, like the ones in Hampton targeted to preschoolers, are limited to certain population groups, Martin said.
"We're asking people who are not in the CDC-identified priority groups to wait," she said. "We are asking for the public's cooperation."
Some bystanders may be mad when they see what appear to be healthy adults standing in line for the vaccine, but they could be in a priority group, Martin said.
"Those bystanders don't know if those parents have a newborn at home, or they're a grandparent who cares for a grandchild," she said.
If you're looking for the vaccine, the Virginia Department of Health recommends calling your family physician or pediatrician. Find out if they've signed up as a vaccination site and if they've received the vaccine. And ask whether they have a waiting list.
If your doctor doesn't have it, look for a site through the health department's Web site at vdh.state.va.us or call 877-ASK-VDH3, Martin said.
Who's considered a priority for the vaccine?
Because supply so far has been limited, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that the following groups receive the vaccine before others: pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children 6 months through 4 years old, and children 5 through 18 years old who have chronic medical conditions.
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