Friday, Sep. 25, 2009

Vaccine to be available by early October

More swine flu vaccine will arrive the first week of October than officials previously thought - between 6 million and 7 million doses.

That's roughly double earlier predictions, and most will be the nasal spray version called FluMist, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday.

Lots of flu shots will soon follow: About 40 million vaccine doses will arrive by mid-October, with between 10 million and 20 million more arriving each week, she said.

Mist vaccine not recommended for high-risk

That first-arriving FluMist is only for healthy people ages 2 to 49, so many of the high-risk will need to watch for the shot version.

High risk people include pregnant women, babies ages 6 months and older and people with conditions such as asthma.

Vaccine itself provided free by government

The vaccine itself will be free - the government bought it with taxpayer dollars. However, some providers may charge a fee to administer it; administration fees for regular flu vaccine often are in the $20 range.

But Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius said her office has been urging doctors and other vaccinators not to charge an administration fee. It's another step to speed vaccinations especially of the poor and uninsured for whom even a modest fee could be a disincentive.

- From Wire Reports

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