Swine flu shots today

MONTGOMERY - After a series of manufacturer delays, H1N1 influenza vaccines have arrived in the state and will be administered today at health departments in the Shoals and Franklin County, according to Dr. Karen Landers, area health officer.

Each site will receive a limited number of vaccines, and those in high-risk groups will be first to receive the doses.

Landers said there would be 1,570 doses in Lauderdale, 945 in Colbert and 630 in Franklin, numbers she said are based on county population estimates. Some of the least populated counties in the state will receive as few as 100 doses of the vaccine.

"The challenge is going to be that we have more eligible people than we have vaccines for at this time," she said of the demand for the vaccine as H1N1-related deaths have continued to mount statewide and across the nation. "I anticipate that we probably will run out of the vaccine in our smaller counties."

Originally, the state Department of Public Health had planned widespread vaccination clinics, including at schools, to accommodate the need for the vaccine.

With manufacturing delays, however, Dr. Don Williamson, state health officer, said that strategy had to be altered. He called a press conference Tuesday with Gov. Bob Riley to explain how the clinics would work and when additional doses of the vaccine could become available.

"We've put our school clinics off until the end of November or the first week of December," he said. "But our goal is, as more vaccines become available, which will be in December or January, we will target large groups of people and have the vaccine available to anyone who wants it."

Williamson said the virus has claimed the lives of 22 Alabamians. The most recent were two individuals in Shelby and Talladega counties who were older than 65. Older residents and the elderly are not considered part of the high-risk groups, he said, because they have been exposed to a similar viral strain in the past.

Although those not in the high-risk group might be at a clinic site for a vaccine, his hope is that only those who are in need at this time will seek a dose, Williamson said.

"For the most part, people will make the right decision and defer to those who are at a higher risk," he said. "We've asked the clinics not to exclude someone who shows up who says they need the vaccine; we're not in a position to judge. So we're trying to make sure that people who are at great risk have it available to them. We trust that most people will do the right thing."

As a precaution, Landers said local law enforcement officers will be at each site to control traffic and parking. She also asked that people who come to the health department today for something other than an H1N1 vaccine be patient with the staff.

"We believe we have adequate resources to handle the situation, but it can be a challenge to provide other services as well as administer the vaccine," she said. "We will have staff dedicated to working just that, but we need the public to be patient."

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@TimesDaily.com.