Monday, December 21, 2009
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Health submitted orders for 416,400 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. The vaccine will be shipped directly to 1,913 enrolled medical providers in 88 Ohio counties, including local health districts, hospitals, and pharmacies.
The order includes 46,200 doses of nasal-spray vaccine and 370,200 shots of H1N1 flu vaccine.
The vaccine orders should begin arriving at provider offices and clinics today, according to CDC.
ODH has previously ordered 3,246,300 doses of H1N1 vaccine, bringing Ohio’s total to 3,662,700 doses thus far. This represents Ohio’s total allotment at this time of H1N1 influenza vaccine. More vaccine is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
ODH is also reminding parents and health-care providers that children younger than 10 should receive two doses of H1N1 flu vaccine in order to achieve optimal protection against pandemic flu. Children who had their first dose on or before November 23th, 2009 are now eligible for their second dose. The CDC recommends that the two doses of H1N1 vaccine be separated by 28 days to be effective.