Southern Nevada gets first shipment of H1N1 vaccine
The Southern Nevada Health District has received its initial delivery of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. This shipment is 20,600 doses of the FluMist, the inhaled vaccine.
In a news release, the district said due to the limited number of doses, the health district will first offer the inhaled version of the vaccine to health care workers and EMTs who meet the approved guidelines to receive the inhaled vaccine.
These are members of the initial priority groups designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to receive H1N1 vaccine first. The inhaled vaccine is approved for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49. It is not approved for pregnant women or children and adults who have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma or diabetes.
The health district expects to begin providing the vaccine this weekend.
According to the CDC, additional doses of the vaccine will be shipped to state health divisions, local health authorities, and health care providers on a weekly basis. It is expected that although there will be limited doses available initially, the supply is expected to grow over the coming months and will eventually be enough to accommodate everyone who wants to receive the vaccine.