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More H1N1-flu vaccine ordered
The vaccine is intended for high-risk individuals.
YOUNGSTOWN — Area public health departments and hospitals were to begin receiving additional H1N1-flu doses Tuesday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
The state health department said Monday that it had submitted an order for 389,500 additional doses of H1N1-flu vaccine to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday and that the doses would be shipped directly to 298 local health departments and hospitals in Ohio’s 88 counties.
The order includes 60,800 doses of nasal-spray vaccine and 328,700 shots of H1N1-flu vaccine, which should begin arriving at local health departments and hospitals today, according to an ODH spokesman.
The vaccine is intended for high-risk individuals, including health- care workers and emergency- medical workers who provide direct patient care; pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months; all people 6 months old to 24 years; and people age 25 to 64 with chronic medical conditions.
Local health departments and hospitals may choose to vaccinate some subset of the above group depending on vaccine supply and the demographic makeup of the patients they serve, the state health- department spokesman said.
ODH had previously ordered 595,200 doses of H1N1 vaccine, bringing Ohio’s total to 984,700 doses thus far. However, more vaccine is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
Mahoning County Health Commissioner Matthew Stefanak said he welcomes the additional doses of vaccine. He said his department will be conducting H1N1-vaccine clinics in schools throughout November. So far, clinics have been at South Range, Springfield and Western Reserve School districts.
Stefanak estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of those eligible are getting the vaccine, a response rate that is “consistent with what other communities are experiencing.”
Stefanak said that because most of the doses are in the form of nasal spray and that the department has very little injectable vaccine on hand, children and eligible staff in the school clinics will either have to take the nasal dose or wait until more shots are available.
At this point, the injectable doses are being reserved for pregnant women and people with health problems, he said.
“We don’t want people showing up believing they have a choice,” Stefanak said.
For more information on vaccine availability, check the ODH Web site at www.flu.ohio.gov or call the ODH H1N1 information line at (866) 800-1404 between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
H1N1 VACCINE \ On the way
The Ohio Department of Health ordered an additional 389,500 doses of H1N1-flu vaccine from the CDC to be shipped directly to local health departments and hospitals.
Trumbull County recipients include:
St. Joseph Health Center; Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital; Niles City Health Department; Belmont Pines Hospital; Trumbull County Health Department; Warren City Health Department.
Mahoning County recipients include:
Advanced Specialty Hospitals of Greenbriar; Mahoning County Health Department; Forum Health Northside Medical Center; Select Specialty Hospital; St. Elizabeth Family Health Center; Youngstown City Health Department.
Source: Ohio Department of Health