15,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine arrive at pharmacies in Seattle and King County

Selected local pharmacies in the Seattle and King County area have begun receiving vaccine against the new H1N1 “swine” flu, health officials said today.

The amount of vaccine available at the pharmacies will be limited, with each pharmacy receiving a few hundred doses each.

“Making vaccine available through pharmacies is an important next step in protecting our community, but supplies at both pharmacies and health care providers will continue to be limited for at least several weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health - Seattle & KingCounty. “Eventually there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but we are still dealing with limited vaccine supplies.”

Vaccine is arriving much more slowly than anticipated because of unexpected production slowdowns. To make a flu vaccine, the virus must be grown in eggs and then harvested and processed. H1N1, however, turns out to grow much more slowly than the flu strains that cause typical seasonal flu. This has led to a nationwide shortage.

Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today; some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week, officials said.

The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available, vaccination age ranges and administrative fee, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.

This site, however, will only be updated Monday through Friday by noon, so people should contact pharmacies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Residents should also contact their healthcare providers who are also receiving the vaccine.

All told, total of 15,000 doses of vaccine will be distributed to the participating pharmacies. With the arrival of these and other shipments to the area this week, King County will have received approximately 142,000 doses, far fewer than officials had expected to have arrived by this date when they were planning for the outbreak earlier this year.

Some additional information about the pharmacy vaccination programs is below but much more detailed information is available here including a screening form that you can download and fill out before going to the pharmacy.

Pharmacy vaccination details

People eligible to receive vaccine through pharmacies include:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
• People between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems
• Healthcare and emergency workers with direct patient contact

Many pharmacies are unable to vaccinate babies and young children because their staff is not licensed and/or trained for these age groups. Residents trying to vaccinate children should check with pharmacies directly and with their health care providers since vaccine is continuing to arrive.

Pharmacies may charge a fee for administering the vaccine, typically between $12 and $22 (not to exceed $22). This fee is covered by most health insurance. People should bring their health insurance information to the pharmacy, and they may need to submit a receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement.

To learn more:

• Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community.
• Or call theFlu Hotline at 877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators to answer questions from King County residents about H1N1 influenza. Hours of operation with operators are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with special 24-hour nurse line service extended over this weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice.  Recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.