By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — People who prefer shots to mist have exhausted the Ashtabula County Health Department’s supply of the H1N1 injectable vaccine, Raymond Saporito, county health commissioner, said Friday.
The shortfall could mean the remaining school vaccine clinics could be postponed pending the receipt of new vaccine shipments, he said.
“There is that potential to affect the projected schedule,” Saporito said.
There’s just enough injectable vaccine on hand to handle Monday’s clinic at Geneva Elementary School. There’s also a very limited supply set aside for pregnant women, who are considered at-risk for the swine flu.
The county has approximately 800 nasal-mist doses on hand, Saporito said.
People’s preference for injections, instead of the nasal mist, caused the shortage, Saporito said. When deliveries arrive, supply is generally split between the injectable vaccine and the mist, he said. Injectable vaccine contains dead virus, while the mist contains a live — but very weak — virus that does not cause the flu, Saporito said.
On Thursday, during a visit to the county, Dr. Alvin Jackson, director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), said the mist is perfectly safe for people in good health. The same companies that manufacture seasonal flu vaccines are making the H1N1 vaccine, he said.
Generally, the mist has been approved for people 2 to 49 years old with no underlying health issues, like heart or lung disease, asthma, kidney or liver disease, diabetes or certain blood disorders. The mist was created for people who dislike needles, officials have said.
The county has administered about 400 of the mist vaccines, and no adverse reactions or side effects have been reported, Saporito said.
At the Thursday meeting, Jackson said some people are steering clear of the mist because of incorrect information being spread on the Internet. ODH plans to combat the misinformation with aggressive advertising, he said.
A clinic held Friday morning at the county health department office in Jefferson attracted a big crowd, and most wanted the injectable vaccine, Saporito said. The clinic targeted at-risk residents, like pregnant women, the chronically ill and young people between 2 and 24 years of age.
It was not immediately known how much injectable vaccine was available at health departments in Conneaut and Ashtabula.
Because of the shortage, only the nasal mist will be available at county clinics next week. They are:
n Mondays and Fridays — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; county health department office, 12 W. Jefferson St., Jefferson; and
n Wednesdays — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ashtabula Township Hall.
More injectable vaccine should arrive over the next few weeks, Saporito said.
For information on H1N1 vaccine, call the county health department (576-3023 ext. 123). A special H1N1 hot line will take calls between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday.
