4 months ago
AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- Maine CDC offficials say there is not enough H1N1 vaccine available right now to protect who are the most at risk of developing complications if they contract the disease.
The shortage comes as the virus is considered to be widespread in southern and central Maine.
At a briefing in Augusta Thursday, Maine CDC Director Dr. Dora Mills says the state will have only received 99,000 doses by Friday. That is 160,000 short of what officials were expecting.
Mills says that's only enough to give to one out of every seven Mainers who are in a high risk category, that includes pregnant women, children and people with underlying medical conditions.
Despite the delays, 12,000 school age children were vaccinated against the disease this week, thousands more are expected to receive the vaccine in the coming weeks.
"For every seven people in a high priority group there is one dose of vaccine in the state of Maine that is a very different place to be particularity when we have H1N1 widespread in Maine," said Dr. Mills.
Mills says some schools are opening their clinics to pre-school children, while visiting nurses are offering shots at child care and head start centers.
If you would like more information you can go to http://www.maineflu.gov.
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