Oct 5, 2009 11:18 am US/Central
First Shipments Of H1N1 Vaccine Arrive
Indiana To Get Doses On Monday, Chicago On Oct. 15
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A vialk of Panvax H1N1 Vaccine is displayed during the launch of the National pandemic (swine flu) influenza vaccination campaign by the Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon at Swan Park Leisure Centre on September 30, 2009 in Perth, Australia.
Paul Kane/Getty Images
The first doses of the H1N1 vaccine have arrived in the Chicago area, but don't stand in line just yet.
The initial shipment will be for nurses, paramedics and healthcare workers only.
The good news for the public is that 1,000 doctor's offices in Chicago are already on a list to receive the vaccine.
The city's Children's Memorial Hospital received 500 doses on Monday in a white plastic foam cooler. The hospital has ordered 2,000 more doses of nasal spray and 16,000 doses in shot form.
Mark Adler, an emergency room doctor at Children's Memorial, was one of the first in Illinois to get the vaccine -- one squirt in each nostril. The hospital is making sure staff who deal with patients get the first doses.
Cook County Health and Hospitals System received 3,000 nasal spray doses Monday. A spokeswoman says those doses will go primarily to children who are patients.
Anyone who can't get the vaccine through their own doctor, for whatever reason, can get vaccinated for free at clinics which will be set up at Chicago City Colleges starting in late October.
In addition, the Chicago Department of Public Health has now set up a hotline to answer questions about the H1N1 virus.
All of the doses -- at least initially -- are in the form of nasal spray.
"It's a good vaccine, it works just as well as the injectable (version)," Dr. Joshua Jones of the Chicago Department of Public Health said. "The only difference, it's really for age 2 on up … and you have to be in good health to get that vaccine."
Those younger than 2 and older than 49 -- along with those in poor health -- should get the H1N1 vaccine in a shot.
The first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Indiana on Monday.
"This vaccine -- and I hold it in my hand here -- is safe. It is not an experimental vaccine," said Dr. Virginia Caine of the Marion County Indiana Health Department.
The first shipment of the vaccine that will be available to the public should arrive in two weeks. It will be up to doctors' offices how they want to prioritize it among their patients, making sure it gets to high risk groups, like the pregnant and the elderly, first.
Once the doses arrive, people will have the choice of getting a shot, or skipping the needle and opting for the nasal spray. Chicagoans can call the city's help line (311) to get a status report on when the vaccine will be available.
Also, if patients opt for the spray, they have to wait four weeks to get their regular flu shot. If patients get the injection, they can get both vaccinations at the same time.
So will you be getting the H1N1 vaccine?
A new report from Harvard University says more than half of all adults in the United States say they will get the shot. About 75 percent say they'll get it for their kids.
The report conflicts with a study published last week, showing only 35 percent of Americans would have their kids vaccinated.
More From The Chicago Department Of Public Health
CBS 2's Susan Carlson and Jim Williams contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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